Koval Gets Comforted
by BewilderedFemale
Summary: Koval, Letant, and Kutunah come to Earth seeking a cure to a devastating Romulan disease where Chairman Koval in particular stumbles upon a certain Southern girl that will change his life forever.
1. Chapter 1

**Koval Gets Comforted- By BewilderedFemale**

**That's right kids, another Romulan humor tale, with a Romulan that is sufficiently arrogant to have a love story dedicated to him of course ;-)**

**Will feature some characters from "Senators Vreenak and Letants Adventure to Earth" check it out if you haven't read it already.**

* * *

Comfort was born and raised near the banks of the Louisiana Bayou. A simple girl who grew up in a very humble house hold. They didn't have much money, but there was always plenty of love to go around in her house. She had an older brother who had married and taken house at the tender age of 17.

During her youth she had been a bit of tomboy. Running with the guys after school, proving that she could carry her own weight when they played baseball, or played hide-n-seek in the swamp which they had been warned not to do but Cyrus had double dared her to prove that she wasn't yeller and she never backed down from a dare.  
As a trick, one of them threw a bull frog at her one day thinking that she would scream and run away, but she grabbed the frog in mid-air and took a good look at it before she stuck it in her pocket.

"Thanks guys, ya'll just got me my new pet; I think I'll name him Jeremiah." She had always had a pet frog ever since that day.

Luckily nothing had ever happened to them but then old man Bo, one of the town's pig farmers got himself killed out in the swamp one night while he was coon hunting, and news spread like wildfire that the swamps were haunted by old man Bo so they had stopped after that.

When Comfort graduated from high school at age 16 due to her impressive grades, she had blossomed into quite the lady. She had curly red hair that reached the middle of her back and large teal eyes that would make any man get down on his knees and thank the good lord she was single. Her parents thought it proper she marry and settle down but she had applied and been accepted for a science scholarship and was currently a freshman at LSC.

Trouble was that Comfort wouldn't make for a good wife in the eyes of several of the men in her town what with all that studying she carried on with, just wasn't necessary when all she needed was a good strong back to withstand house work and pregnancy and a cooks hands to have supper on the table when the man got home.

"What are we in the dark ages? We got em people from outer space visiting the College next week and my mind is set on giving them a proper welcome, as well as showing them the results of my Earth's infectious diseases project." She told her parents one night.

"Meeting space fellers and workin on a project aint gonna give me no grand babies Comfort." Her mother replied. "Look at your brother, he's already on his third child, when is your time to come?"

"When I'm good and ready!" She would reply before locking herself up in her room to study.

And then the day arrived. A group of Romulans were stopping by LSC to see some of the science labs, but particularly because Comfort had recently discovered that the swamps in Louisiana contained a bacteria that could possibly cure Tuvan Syndrome based on a project she had entered into the annual science competition.  
It was said that because of that, they would be seeing a lot of them Romulans in Louisiana, and Comfort was extremely excited, she didn't get out much so this was a rare treat to have people of another world come to her school.

The day finally came and Comfort had been chosen as one of the students to present their projects to the Romulans, she was nervous but she was also very excited.  
She put her curly hair back in a ponytail with a large purple bow and wore her nicest looking jeans, ankle boots and purple plaid button up shirt, she walked proudly into her class and was greeted by her friend Rosemary.

"Why look at you Comfort; you're lookin mighty classy today."

"Yeah; I'm presentin my project to them Romulans; I thought I'd look presentable; I have to admit I'm kinda nervous though."

"No need to be darlin; they're nice people once you get to know them."

Her expression caused Comfort to raise a brow. She had heard rumors that Rosemary was going steady with one of the Romulans.

"Is that experience talkin Rosemary?"

The blush she gave in turn was all the proof she needed. "I don't want the folks to know though, I don't think they'd take kindly to the news that I'm datin a Romulan."

"Who cares?" Comfort replied. "We're all living and breathin beings in gods eyes, what should it matter?"

"Wish my folks were as open minded as you Comfort. I'm afraid they wouldn't react that way if I told em."

This caused Comfort to come up short, her parents probably wouldn't take kindly to the news either if they were to find out she were going steady with a Romulan, but it was unlikely that she'd ever fall for one of them in a romantic way, she was just curious about them was all and wanted to learn more about them.

"By the way, did you ever find out who are the one's we've got to present to today?"

"Oh yeah, I even have their profile pictures and everything." Rosemary replied as she handed her PADD over.

Comfort flipped through and saw one Senator Letant, he had a toothy smile that just screamed mischief and scheming, it was even more interesting to find out as she read on that Letant was married to a human! They have three kids and reside on Romulus- now there was an idea, living outside of Earth, the idea both scared and excited her at the same time.

She flipped over again and this time Scientist Kutunah showed up. He was big and beefy with a grave expression on his face. He apparently had vast knowledge and although his status read single, it was crossed out and replaced with: "In a relationship" Okaaaay...

Comfort read on and this time a hideious looking man showed up, one Chairman Koval.

It was obvious to her that he was a no nonsense kind of man, and even though he wasn't attractive by normal standards, Comfort found that she was immediately attracted to him, her teal eyes twinkling at the sight of his turned up mouth and pointy ears. He was tall, standing at 6' 3" according to the data, and his status read single. Comfort wondered why such a man had not found a woman to marry and the prospect of actually meeting him made her a little more nervous and excited than she was already.

"How did you get this information?" Comfort asked in amazement.

Rosemary smiled; "Let's just say I have my connections."

Comfort was handing back her PADD when Billy Cormack walked in, an arrogant Junior who had been after Comfort for a while now with less than honorable intentions but he of course tried to convince her otherwise his favorite line being:

"I've got a lot of love for ya Comfort, you'd make a fine wife."

But Comfort was no fool, and she knew of his reputation, having gotten Elizabeth-Jane pregnant during his Sophmore year and then not taking responsibility for it. He instead accused her of being easy and that the child wasn't his. A paternity test was conducted and while it came up as negative, (Probably some scheme on his part) everyone knew that he had had her as well as several others so even though he was physically attractive, she didn't see him as such, on the contrary; he was probably the ugliest guy she had ever laid eyes on.

Billy came in looking as confident as ever winking at Comfort while she turned her head away.

"They're waiting for us, they told me to come in and get you fine lookin ladies."

As soon as they walked into the room, Comfort's eyes fell on the chairman; he was more handsome in person she had decided albeit he did look like he was under the weather as opposed to his picture on the PADD.

He didn't even look up at them however and busied himself with the computer in front of him.  
The Dean of the college was present of course and he introduced them, Letant was very friendly and charming, while Kutunah strangely enough only seemed to go be looking at Rosemary and Koval didn't even look up for three seconds together.

"We need to get this underway as soon as possible." He barked. "Time is of the essence."

The Dean nervously bowed, "Yes Chairman, we'll get started right away." He then waved anxiously at the students and they made their way to their stations where their projects were already set up.

Comfort had several vials stacked up as well as a mini video presentation of how she used the helicobactori bacteria obtained from the swamp on a series of other bacteria that caused infectious diseases and in each one the helicobactori bacteria killed all three infectious diseases.

While she was presenting her theory of how this bacteria could be used for medical purposes, Letant and Kutunah's eyes practically bulged from their eyes and when she was finally finished, they stood from their chairs and applauded her efforts. Chairman Koval however did no such thing and kept his head down the entire time she gave the presentation and while it gave the impression of being uninterested, he was in fact listening to every word she had said.

The others gave their presentations, Billy in particular made a mock hollywood film complete with graphics and designs that to the untrained eye would've seemed like a masterpiece but the Romulans were not impressed. It was all show and no information, they didn't come here to Earth to see human art, they came to find a cure to a disease that was growing increasingly out of control. Only Letant clapped at the end of his presentation out of courtesy, being married to a human, it was a trait that he picked up.

At this point Comfort's opinion of the chairman was beginning to lessen and even more so when at the end of their presentations, both Letant and Kutunah showed avid interest over her theory and he made a point to not even look at her. She frowned as she watched his pompous face look at the assignments and activities that were posted on the college calendar, he raised his eyebrow in disgust and mumbled something about "inferior humans"

"Hey!" Rosemary said as she snapped Comfort out of her thoughts. "You did amazing!" She said.

Comfort turned back around and smiled at her. "Thanks! I was so nervous!"

"Didn't look it, you did excellent, I think they're going to ask you to go to Romulus."

Comfort's eyes grew wide. "Do you really think so?"

"Very possible, they're talking about you." and as to prove her point, she pointed towards Letant, and Kutunah who were speaking with the Dean and they could over hear Letant say: "We can bring her and then have her give the same presentation to our medical board."

"Oh my gosh! But I'm nothing! I'm just a freshman attending a state college no less, its not even a University for goodness sake!"

"Why do you discredit yourself? You're really smart and you worked your butt off to get the results they need to save their people."

"You should not lie to her." Came a deep and sinister voice from behind them. It was the chairman who was looking at Rosemary, completely bypassing Comfort.

"Her presentation was mediocre at best, and we were not demonstrated any solid proof that this helicobatori will have the same effect on Romulan disease; this whole trip was a complete waste of time." He sneered.

Comfort's hopes were completely bashed to pieces by his statement. She felt numb from the head down, her eyes began to water but the fieriness in her took over immediately and her crushed feelings were suddenly blinded by anger.

"It's too bad the chairman should feel that way," She said as she directed herself to Rosemary, completely ignoring him.

"I wonder why he even took the trouble to come here if he was just going to insult our kind. Surely if his people are so great they would've found a cure by now, wonder what he's even doin here."

The chairmans eyes grew wide and for the first time since he had arrived at the lab, he took a good look at Comfort, and blinked rapidly as he was suddenly taken aback by how physically attractive she was, but she was still human and she had just spoken ill of him, and nobody ever did that and got away with it.

"If you want to direct yourself to me, you will do so by looking me directly in the eye!" He barked angrily, causing the Dean and the other Romulans to pause their conversation and look at them.

"Just like you did a few seconds ago?" She said as she folded her arms in front of her, she wasn't afraid of him, and she suddenly didn't care if she did get in trouble, who did he think he was talking to?

"You will talk to me with respect human!" He demanded.

"Like my pa always said; you gotta give to receive. Ever since you first walked in here you been actin like you're too good to be here with us, nobody is askin you to stick around. Seems to me like if you don't like what you heard, you might as well leave." She said, and her teal eyes wide with anger but yet she managed to stay cool and calm.

"Miss Comfort!" The Dean finally spoke in shock. "That's the Romulan Chairman you're addressing!"

"I don't care if he's president of the galaxy! He's rude and condescending; I didn't work for five straight months on the helicobactori bacteria and stay up nights sometimes only getting four hours of sleep to be insulted as thanks for my efforts. I'm sure there will be others interested in my findings so I'll just be on my way." and with that she grabbed her project, Kutunah making a sorrowful face as he saw a possible cure yanked out of his reach thanks to the disagreeable Chairman Koval.

Comfort turned around and exited the lab leaving everyone including Chairman Koval in shock.

* * *

"You can really be relied upon to mess things up Koval." Letant sneered.

"Of course you would come to the humans aide." He sneered right back.

"Her species has nothing to do with the fact that her studies hold merit. We could have a major breakthrough and thanks to your arrogance and conceit we can kiss it goodbye." Kutunah yelled.

"You watch your tongue Kutunah! We all know that like the good Senator here, you too are messing around with a human! Such a disgrace when there are strong and beautiful single Romulan women. We need to strengthen our empire! Not weaken it by interbreeding with humans!"

"Says the man who's never been able to hold a week long relationship with a Romulan woman." Letant replied with a smirk and a knowing sparkle in his eye. "Kevraa, Zurta, Leeta, Frikaa, all left you within days, shall I continue?"

"They were all trying to use me! Let's not forget that I am an important man, and my job comes first!"

"This is all beside the point." Kutunah interrupted. "We need to contact that girl from LSU. You heard what she said; she's willing to take her findings elsewhere and we can't let that happen."

"You heard that Koval, I think that means you need go apologize to the girl." Letant said with a knowing smirk.

"I will never apologize to a human." He replied with a lift of a brow and chin.

"Fine." Letant replied smoothly. "Rot in your own flesh, we all know that you suffer from the Tuvan disease, if anyone should be kissing that girl's feet, it is you, and of course I will be making a full report of what transpired; I will not be held a fault when the ask why we were not successful in bringing back the findings."

* * *

The following day, Chairman Koval was waiting outside of Comfort's advanced chemistry class. He almost laughed at the scowl that formed on her face when she saw him standing there, and while he was use to women scowling at him, she in particular brought a sensation he was unaccustomed to. He thought it a weakness in his character that this slip of a country earth girl should bring out such emotions in him.

"I require your assistance." He began to say as she walked by, but she completely ignored him and opened the door before slipping into the classroom.

He followed right after her of course, nobody ignored him. She walked into her station, she was early so nobody else was there yet.

"I believe I was talking to you." He said as she was bringing out her things out of her backpack, it was torn and obviously wouldn't last for much longer. He took a second to view her attire and saw that it was a lot different from last night. Her jeans were very worn out and slightly ripped at the ends, her shoes were going in the same direction and it dawned on him given the full research he had done on where she lived and where she had grown up that she was very poor. Her high intellect by human standards were what allowed her to go to college at all.

She was still ignoring him. "Why do you not answer me you infuriating human?" He barked.

She still didn't answer and was putting on her lab coat, she dug into her torn up bag and brought out a container of sorts with lots of little holes on it. She looked up at him and locked eyes for several, his own stare keenly drawn on her peculiar eyes and pale skin, she was very attractive, he had finally admitted.

"Close your eyes and hold out your hands." She finally said in a soft voice that made him twitch slightly.

"What?!" He scoffed.

"Just do it." and he did, maybe she was giving him the vials of helicobactori that way he could just leave with it and not have to bother talking to her anymore, although a part of him didn't like that idea, but he still miraculously did what he was told without putting up a fight.

He didn't expect to feel something cold and squishy in his hands, and when he opened his eyes, he fell backwards as a large earth amphibian was "ribbiting" loudly in his hands, even going as far as leaving a few droplets of urine in his hands.

The frog dropped on the floor, hopping back to Comfort where she put him back in the box and quickly pushed it out the classroom window and thus disposing the evidence of what she had done.

Koval had fallen backwards bringing down a torrent of glass vials and beakers down with him. Immediately the chemistry professor along with several students came inside hearing the commtion, the professor in particular red-faced and exceedingly angry.

"What is the meaning of this?!" He barked out in anger.

Comfort innocently shrugged at her professor, her eyes teary and looking like she had been frightened out of her mind

"I dont know, he followed me in here demanding I give him my project and then when I wouldn't, he started breaking stuff and threatening me." She sobbed.

"I did no such thing!" He replied in shock of Comfort's devious ploy; it was almost Romulan worthy! The dastardly human girl was more cunning than he could have ever imagined!

"She threw a disgusting earth toad on me!" He exclaimed. "look, it even peed on me!" but when he showed his hands, they were dry as the frog had only left a few drops.

Comfort looked at her Professor as if Koval were out of his mind and the professor in turn pressed a button on his desk and called security.  
Not five minutes later, three guards were escorting a very angry Koval out of the premises while he yelled that he would have them all arrested.

Comfort watched from her window as security practically dragged Koval out; a smile of satisfaction on her lips.

"Nobody messes with this country gal."


	2. Chapter 2

**I made some last minute changes to what I had originally planned for this chapter.  
This one in particular is going to contain some angst but I feel it was necessary in order for the story to eventually bounce back to humor, which may not make sense now, but hopefully it will by the next chapter.**

* * *

Comfort was walking home from LSC two days after the Koval incident when her deteriorating backpack finally gave in and burst open, dumping all of her books and PADD onto the floor.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no," She cried in worry as she checked to see the her PADD was alright, and to her utmost dismay, there was a nasty crack on the bottom corner. She slumped down on the floor and cursed her bad luck, it was a lot to carry with her hands and she wasn't sure what to do. She certainly couldn't just leave her stuff lying around since it was highly unlikely that it would still be there when she got back.

She had her head down and was still trying to figure out what to do when she heard the sound of a hover car pull up next to her, she looked up with hope in her eyes, maybe it was Rosemary! But her hopes plummeted when she saw a Romulan guard driving the car and Chairman Koval sitting in the back seat. She immediately looked away blaming him for her impending bad luck.

She had her head down when she heard him lower the window, he wasn't going to go away and she wasn't sure what to expect, he was probably beyond angry and was coming around to seek his revenge on her.

The chairman saw the ripped bag and the spilled books and broken PADD, a smile crossed his lips at the sight before him; good, the girl deserved it after what she had done to him, and now she would have to accept his help and he would make her pay dearly.

"Your bag has broken." He finally said after what felt like an age.

"Good observation Sherlock." She called back even though she didn't face him.

"Sherlock? My name is Koval you infuriating human! I could offer you assistance." He said with a smug smile, every thing was working out beautifully.

"And I can refuse yer assistance, just leave me alone, why are yer following me aroun so much?"

"Give me your vials of helicobactori and you'll never see me again."

She stayed sitting there and didn't answer, Koval was growing impatient and he felt himself growling. "Well?!" He spat out angrily.

"Just go away." She replied.

"Oh, and you plan to just stay there? It's getting dark!"

She shrugged but didn't say anything else.

He didn't have time for this, if the girl wanted to be difficult than she could just rot on the grass. He instructed the driver to leave and watched as she didn't move even as they left, she hung her head and began to try to carry all the things she had in the bag with her hands but as she got up, a lot of them fell on the ground again. He had an urge to tell the driver to turn back around but his face became hard as he recalled the frog incident. As they say on Earth; she got her 'just desserts'.

Normally he'd forget an incident like the one he just saw, but his mind couldn't help but go back to the girl sitting on the ground. He looked outside his hotel room and saw it was completely dark outside, he wondered if she was still there waiting for someone to help her.  
The truth was that he needed her, he needed to get his hands on those vials but she was behaving so difficult that he found himself blinded by anger all the time.  
Before he could think about it further, he went downstairs to the lobby, waving off his guards and climbing on the hover car alone. He drove back to the spot that she had been at to find that she was not there anymore, but on the floor were a couple of books, a journal, and the remnants of the torn bag.

He got out of the car and investigated, opened them up to see written on the front page: "Property of Comfort Smith" From what he gathered, she had only taken what was really important and left everything else that she couldn't carry. He grabbed her items and hopped back into his hover car, where he brought them back into his room and used her advanced chemistry journal as that night's reading material before going to bed. Her knowledge in math and science given the notes were impressive... for a human.

* * *

The day couldn't get any worse as far as Comfort was concerned, she knew that it was too much to ask that her items still be lying on the ground, but everything was gone, including the torn up bag.  
She kneeled on the ground and pulled out her hair scrungie to whip about her curly red hair in frustration, why did this have to happen to her?  
She had no choice but to report her books and journal missing, and hope that someone might have dropped it off at lost and found.

She was just making her way towards the campus when she saw the Chairman leaning against one of the walls outside of the school and in his hands were the books and journal she had been looking for.  
She felt her stomach drop, lord only knew what he wanted to return for her things. Shen needed them to attend class otherwise there was no point in even going to school that day. She momentarily thought about reporting that he had stolen her items to security but thought to talk to him first before doing anything drastic.

She walked over to him, and as she approached, he stood up straighter and loomed over her in his superior way.

"You couldn't even help me yesterday, but you were more than willing ter take my things?"

"You are hasty in your accusation, I decided to go back and help you despite what you did to me earlier but you were already gone."  
He bounced the notebook and books in his hands. He made a motion like he was going to give them to her but when she reached out for them, she took it back.

"The vials, otherwise I keep your things." He replied in his sinister voice.

Comfort was going to reply but she scoffed and began walking away from him at a fast pace, she had had enough of the stupid Chairman, and to think that she thought him attractive at one time!

Odd, she wasn't walking in the direction of the school and instead was heading towards the road, he started to walk after her and began running when she dove out into the street without looking.

She was so blinded by her anger and frustration that she didn't even look before she dove out into the street, never noticing the hover car that was coming at her direction, nor feeling the pain as she made impact with the hover car and fell unconscious on to the road.

* * *

News of the incident spread like wildfire, especially when the driver of the hover car told the press that the girl had been running away from Chairman Koval as if fearing for her life.

Currently he was being held in the Louisiana State Prison. His hands were bound as he sat in front of Letant and Kutunah.

"Hows is the girl doing?" Was the chairmans first question.

Letant raised a brow as he looked over at Kutunah, "You mean, you're actually asking for her well-being? I thought your first question would be when are we going to get you out of this mess."

"Well, that too." Koval replied.

"She's in stable condition, nothing was broken and she should be fine in a few days, and god knows why but she gave a statement that you had nothing to do with the accident, and actually blamed herself for not looking; I think you'll be released within the hour due to her."

Letant continued to look at him deviously. "The humans buy it, but I don't Koval, were you trying to kill her?"

"Absolutely not! I was trying to carry out our mission!"

"By killing her?" Letant persisted.

Koval leaned forward with a sneer on his face.

"If I wanted the girl to be dead Letant, she wouldn't be in stable condition right now. All we have to do now is get her to give us those damn vials! When I get out of here, I'll talk to the girl, go about things differently, I think I've been using the wrong tactics, perhaps I'll ask her out to dinner, humans do all those idiotic things to garner trust or what have you."

He had been thinking about it almost constantly since he arrived at the prison. Visualizing in his mind how he could gain her trust, and in his day-dreams, she would grow to like him, and cheerfully hand over anything he wanted, but sometimes the dreams would wander into other things, particularly of him looking into her eyes for long periods of time before placing his arms around her and bringing her in for a kiss, but they would never manage it; he'd tear his thoughts away to something else before it happened.

"There will be no need." Letant replied. "She gave me the vials when I went to visit her in the hospital earlier today, at a price of course."

"What did she want? Credits?" Koval asked.

Letant shook his head. "She asked that we leave immediately to Romulus and have the medicine available to those who needed it at an affordable price so that even those who are poor can have a chance at good health, this may not be so easy to carry out at first but I agreed and will put in the credits for it myself if I need to."

"And that's all?" Koval asked.

"There is one more thing..." Letant continued. "She asked for you to never contact her again."

Koval was silent, he leaned slowly back against his chair with a frown that Letant never saw on him before. He knew what was happening, any man who had ever gone through the trials of becoming infatuated with someone knew the symptoms, but he kept quiet despite being incredibly curious as to how it had happened although Letant guessed that at this point, even Koval didn't know how it had happened.

"It's done Koval, you should be released soon, and we'll leave immediately back to Romulus."  
With that, Letant and Kutunah stood from their chairs as they scraped noisily against the floor.

Koval never looked up from his seat as they left. It was done, they were going back home and he would be cured of his illness soon, and yet he never remembered feeling as miserable in his life as he felt right now.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you all for your reviews! I honestly didn't think this story would get such a warm reception! Well, here's another chapter!**

* * *

There was an angry mob of people outside of the Star-ship docking station.

People were holding up signs and shouting once the Romulan guards came into view. Some of them reading: "Go Back To Rumulus!" and "Killer Koval" It had a picture of his face and then a circle and a red slash through it.  
Something of that nature wouldn't have bothered him before but it did this time. He was leaving Earth and more than likely never coming back and for once; he didn't know how to feel about it.  
While the anti-Koval rally was underway outside, he was calmly flipping through his state of the art PADD and was able to see a news article talking about Comfort's accident. There was a picture of her laying on the hospital bed, the title of the article was: "Brave LSC student gives Romulans possible cure for Tuvan Syndrome and is repaid by almost losing her life." There was probably many more articles such as this which explained the mob outside.

There was a knock on the window which gave them the all-clear sign. A horde of Rumulan guards surrounded Koval as he stepped out of the hover car and on to the star ship, many of the humans throwing stuff at them. The screams crecendoed as Koval stepped aboard the star ship and then ceased completely as the door closed behind the last guard.

"Made it in one piece I see." Letant said with that knowing smirk. "I'm sure you're dying to get home, and away from Earth." He said with a twinkle in his eye, but Koval said nothing and simply walked to his small quarters so he could be alone.  
He tried to think about other things, focus on the work that lay ahead, they had at least succeded with the mission and once they got back on Romulus, nobody would care about what had transpired between him and the girl. She always managed to invade his thoughts somehow though. There would be flashes of red hair, or he'd suddenly remember her eyes, or how her cheeks turned pink while she was yelling at him, but then he would see her lying lifelessly on the ground. She had gotten hurt and it had been thanks to him. He angrily picked up the first object he found lying around and threw it against the wall with such force that it shattered into millions of pieces. It had never been this way before, not with anyone. It wasn't the first time a woman had told him she never wanted to see him again and it never mattered much to him, he'd always just shrug it off and moved on to the next order of business, so why couldn't he forget the stupid Earth girl?

It was of course as he had thought. Once they arrived back home, they were commended for their work on bringing back the vials, and that was it, now the focus lay on the medical team creating an antidote with the helicobatori. Nothing was ever brought up with regards to the girl, and he was constantly being congratulated on the success of the mission, and yet he did not feel as if it had been a success at all, if anything; he felt as if he had failed, and he didn't know how to make that irritating feeling go away.

At night, in the privacy of his vast estate, he brought out his PADD and checked out the Earth news. The girl had been released from the hospital but was now battling medical credit fee's, the article also read that the hospital was threatening to place a lean on her parents home, and there at the bottom was a picture of her home, and Koval almost dropped his PADD at the sight of it.  
A very shabby, and very old looking home that looked as if it was about to fall over. The roof was patched up in more places than he could count, then at the bottom was a picture of her going to school with her books placed in a recycled shopping bag. He quickly turned off his PADD and got up out of his chair to pace around his room. After several minutes of pacing and feeling no relief, he left the room and went outside for a brisk walk in his vast gardens.  
The walk helped somewhat but later that night he was not able to sleep very well as thoughts of the girl plagued his mind.

* * *

Comfort had arrived at school and was walking towards her locker, things had been tough the past couple of weeks but she was not going to give up school, she had thought about perhaps getting a part time job, one that would let her work some 18 hours during the week and had decided she would start looking after class that day.

Every now and then she would think about what had happened, about Chairman Koval but it only seemed to bring her anger and sadness. She still couldn't believe how horrible things had gone with him and sometimes she wondered if he had done it all on purpose because the founder of the cure had not been Romulan, but a human girl who wasn't even finished with college. All she had ever wanted to do was have him show some appreciation for what she had done for his people, and things had turned out so very different from what she had expected. She doubted that he even thought about her anymore, she had heard that once he had been released from prison, he left immediately back to Romulus, probably couldn't wait to get out of Earth.

She put the combination on her lock pad and the door beeped open. She was about to set down her things when she found to her amazement that inside her locker was a brand new pink and black backpack.

Comfort looked around as if expecting it to suddenly explode and when nothing happened, she carefully lifted it up, but it felt oddly heavy, as if something were inside of it.  
She cautiously unzipped the bag and peered inside to find a brand new PADD-the latest model as a matter of fact. and then down at the bottom was an envelope that read: "For Comfort" and nothing else. She thought that perhaps it would contain a card from her generous sender but when she opened it, it was a 1,000 Credits Gift Card to spend at the mall.  
She was so shocked that she even felt light-headed. She flipped the card, the envelope and looked around all the pockets of the backpack in hopes to find a note from who her benefactor had been but found nothing.

For a crazy moment she almost thought that it would've been from... but there was no way, he was in Romulus by now, and she was probably the last thing on his mind given the way he treated her while he was here. Maybe someone took pity on her situation and decided to remain anonymous. She smiled at the gift and immediately began to place her books out of her crumpling shopping bag and into her new backpack.

Later that same day Comfort came home to find her momma running up to her and showering her with a dozen kisses. "What's goin on momma?" She asked with wide eyes. "The hospital lifted the lean on the house darlin!"

"How? Why? Them greedy vultures wouldn't do that sorta thing just like that?"

Her mom handed her the letter they received that day, and just like she had said; the letter stated that the lean on the house had been lifted, but there was no information as to why.

"Strange... very strange.."

* * *

There was a knock on Chairman Koval's office, his secretary had informed him that Letant was coming so he looked up and swerved from his plush and very elegant leather chair:

"Come in."

Letant came in with that damn twinkle in his eye causing Koval to frown slightly.

"I heard you're going back to Earth."

"I am." Letant nodded. "As you already know, the helicobactori vials were a success, and now we have to make negotiations with Earth to establish regular vial imports from Louisiana."

"I plan to be part of the committee." Koval stated quickly. "I will travel back to Earth as well."

Letant smirked all the more as he studied the chairman. "You really think that's a good idea? The occurrence with that girl is still fresh in people's minds besides; you have already been declared cured! You have no need to return to Earth and be amongst those inferior beings."

Koval knew he didn't really mean that he thought humans were inferior, he was quoting what he had stated many times to Letant while he was courting Bea, it was now Letant's turn to have fun at Koval's obvious infatuation towards a human.

"Letant, has the girl been rewarded by our empire for her coming to our aide?"

"As I stated to you back on Earth, her wish was that everyone who suffered from Tuvon syndrome could afford treatment. That request did not come cheaply Koval. She has received recognition for her findings, that is all I know. Oh, and I did hear that a certain somebody arranged for the girl to recieve a few gifts and have her medical bills taken care of; I wonder who could've done that?" Letant said with a knowing smirk.

"I believe she should be brought here." Koval continued as if to change the line of conversation. "So that our medical teams can meet her and work with her, maybe she should finish her education here, surely our learning institutions are better then that of Earth's."

Letant's eyebrows raised to his hairline. "That would have been an excellent suggestion some time ago Koval, but given the situation now; I doubt the girl will have much interest in coming to Romulus." The smirk returned full force and Koval knew for certain that Letant was aware of where the conversation stemmed from, there really was no point in denying it any further.

"If you want to make things right with the girl Koval, I don't know what it is that you have said to that girl but I think your approach needs to change completely. Human women are very different then that of Romulan women." He then looked intently at Koval. "But I can assure you that they can be very much worth the effort of obtaining them."

Koval didn't even attempt to deny it anymore. He was losing his mind, the whole conversation was insane and yet; he couldn't help it. He had been fighting with himself for so long and he was exhausted from it. He needed to know why this girl affected him so much, he needed to talk to her, and for once not exchange hateful words to one another.

"What can I do?" He asked Letant without looking at him.

Letant walked over and picked up the chairmans PADD, with a few clicks, he then handed the PADD over to Koval.

"Read that, and then make your move."

Koval stayed standing there completely perplexed until he looked down at the novel he had been instructed to read. He held it up and read aloud: "Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.. huh.. wonder how this will help me."

* * *

Four days had passed since Letant had left with the committee for Earth.

Koval wondered often if he had managed to talk to the girl, wondered often what she was doing now that she was gaining popularity on Earth. He had found several other news articles about her. She had recently been invited by Harvard University to give a short talk about what had inspired her to look to the swamp of Louisiana for a cure to Tuvan syndrome. She was wearing a nice looking pantsuit and he wonder if it had been acquired with the card he had arranged to be left behind in the backpack. There was one picture he had seen of her where she was actually wearing the backpack and it caused him to swell with pride. For some reason, it made him feel good to know that he had been the one to provide for her.

He had started to read the Pride & Prejudice book Letant had suggested but it was proving to be difficult to read because it brought up unpleasant reminders. This Elizabeth Bennett character was such a stubborn girl, just like Comfort, and once he began reading about Mr. Darcy, well, that was a man worth being acquainted with if he did say so himself.

One evening, the chairman was getting ready to go home, he'd have dinner and then relax with his PADD and try to find more Earth articles of the girl. It was becoming a routine for him, and while at first he fought against it, it didn't take very long at all before he figured that as long as nobody else knew about it; he could have at it.  
Sometimes he would spend hours reading not only about her, but what others had to say about her.  
There were many actual doctors in the infectious disease field that found her discovery to be a ploy set up by the Romulans so they would have a valid reason to be exporting regularly out of Earth and eventually dry them out of natural resources. One time he had stumbled upon a hilarious article that claimed that he and the girl were really working together in an attempt to obtain their "15 minutes of fame"  
Koval had sneered angrily: "Human fools"

That night after dinner however, he found an article titled: 'the human journal' the title read;

"**Romulan Senator Letant, his wife Bea, and Comfort Smith spotted with her classmates Rosemary, and Jan, all eating lunch together at Louisiana's 'Crawfish boil' restaurant** ."

Below was a picture of the five of them sitting around, Letant in particular was looking quite cheerful as he was trying to pry open one of the crustaceans. The text below the picture read:

"_**Any rumors that Comfort Smith dislikes Romulans after her run-in with Chairman Koval are finally put to rest as she was spotted spending a good time with Senator Letant, his human wife Bea, and a few of her friends weeks after the incident took place**_."

Koval immediately felt a mixture of jealousy, rage, and frustration coarse through his body, it should be him sitting there with her, and not him. He dropped everything to call Letant. He was practically bouncing up and down as the call went through, and he practically yelled in triumph when Letant's face came on screen.  
The knowing smirk quickly came upon Letant's face.

"Well look at who it is; Chairman Koval. Somehow I gather that you're not calling to inquire after my health."

"You were with the girl!" Koval exclaimed but closed his eyes and took a deep breath to control himself.

Letant laughed at his response. "Yes I was. You know, she is quite charming once you get to know her Koval, it really is too bad that you are not here to personally experience it. She and my wife are getting together with some other females to go shopping tomorrow."

"I will be traveling to Earth first thing Tomorrow morning; I will be reinstated as part of the committee." Koval began as he already started making reservations on his PADD.

Letant lifted a questioning brow. "It is risky Koval, and extremely dangerous; people still have not forgotten the incident completely, and maybe you should stay put since I have it on good authority that Comfort has finally agreed to come to Romulus."

Koval's eyes went wide. "Are you sure about this? When will this take place?"

"At the end of her school semester which is two weeks from now; she and her classmates Rosemary, and Jan will be staying at my estate with me and my wife; they have all become rather good friends. It is part of the human female bonding ritual I suppose."

Koval sighed as he leaned back against his chair and closed his eyes. "Fine, I shall stay here until you all return." He then opened his eyes and seemed to think about it carefully before he asked: "Did she.. has she.. "

"Mentioned you?" Letant finished for him. A wicked grin then formed on his face as his eyes took on that damn-infuriating twinkle. "As a matter of fact she did ask me about you Koval, and I said that you had mentioned to me that you were wanting to give her a face-to-face apology for what had transpired. She is willing to see you again under those terms and conditions, it took some doing Koval, she wasn't exactly keen on the idea.

"You did what?!" Koval roared.

"You do want to start afresh with her do you not? Or have you changed your mind about her?"

"No!" He practically growled. "I am a Romulan and once I have made up my mind I have made it."

"So.. you really do want her then? A human?"

Koval didn't answer.

"No? Ok, I'll just cancel…" Letant began.

"YES! Damn you Letant! I want her! There are you satisfied?" Koval yelled as he folded his arms in front of him.

"Oh and Koval… You really should work on your temper; I very much doubt that the girl will stick around for long if you're constantly yelling and in a disagreeable state."

"Once she is here, I will not be in a disagreeable state, I will lavish her with anything her heart desires."

Letant raised a brow, and said: "Let us hope so." before he cut the communication.

Koval threw himself back on his chair and sighed deeply as he closed his eyes to savor the moment. The girl was coming, and he would finally have her all for himself, and if he had his way, she would never leave Romulus.

* * *

**Sing it with me people: "What hurts the most.. was being so close.." **


	4. Chapter 4

**With the way my schedule is, I usually don't have time to upload stories on Friday's, but I'm making an exception today cause everything is just pouring.. YAY! More for you to read :-)**

* * *

The day had at long last arrived in which Comfort was to arrive at the Rateg docking station.  
The plan was that they would all go to Letant's estate to get some rest during the day and then Koval would join them for dinner.  
Koval had initially wanted to greet them at the docking station first thingbut Letant pointed out that they would be tired from their trip and it would be better to talk to her while she was feeling her best and well rested.

He wore one of his most elegant robes, the neck studded with gold Romulan symbols. He looked at himself various times in the mirror, wanting to make sure everything was perfect.  
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black box. He opened it and beheld for what was probably the 20th time the small Romulan Sapphire and platinum pendant he had gotten for the girl; it had been another suggestion given by Letant.

"Earth women love jewels and they will say yes to almost anything you ask if you provide it for them on a continual basis." He had said with a wink.

Koval tried to dismiss it but the fact was that he was very nervous about seeing the girl again. He honestly couldn't remember being as unsettled as he currently was. He took a deep breath and made his way out of his estate and over to Letant's.

He arrived fifteen minutes early, Letant having anticipated this greeted him at the door with the usual smirk on his face, by now Koval was use to it and it no longer annoyed him.

"So, are you ready?"

Koval felt his pocket to make sure he still had the pendant and fixed the collar of his robes and nodded. "I believe so."

"Good! They're in the kitchen."

"In the kitchen?" Koval asked.

"Well yes, they're the ones making dinner."

Koval blinked. "They cooked? Don't your servants cook?"

Letant leaned in so that only he could hear. "Between you and me Koval, you haven't eaten well until you've tried a human female's home cooked meal; you're in for a real treat." He then patted his shoulder hard and led the way to the kitchen. Just as Letant had said, they were there, two of them stirring pots, Letant's wife was whispering something to a young boy of about six that was undoubtedly one of their sons, and then there he finally spotted the object of his growing affections, she was in a word; breathtaking. No longer was she wearing torn and faded clothes, tonight she wore a purple earth dress, it was very becoming on her. She currently had her back to them as she was chopping vegetables.  
He maintained his stare at her and he honestly didn't know how much time had passed in which he had just remained standing and observing her, not even caring that everyone else was watching both he and Comfort intently.

He could feel his heart beating faster and felt a warmth he was not expecting, he tried to steady himself and his vision blurred slightly. Perhaps he was getting sick? Nothing of that nature had ever happened to him before, and it only got increasingly worse the more he stared at the girl.

"Ladies, our guest Chairman Koval has arrived." Letant finally announced.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked up at him to introduce themselves. He looked towards the girl but she lowered her eyes and turned back around to chopping vegetables again. Her reaction did not sit well with him and he realized that this would be a lot more difficult than he expected.  
Letant's wife Bea on the other hand came around with a grand smile on her face and her arms extended as if she were about to hug him, but she didn't thankfully.

"Chairman! You look thirsty, what will you be having? Wine? Kali fal? Or would you like to try a Louisiana cocktail?" She made an eye movement towards the girl and Koval looked over at Letant and watched as he nodded at the last suggestion and then looked over at the girl as well.  
She probably didn't think he'd want to drink something from her home town and would be incredibly impressed if he did.

"Yes, I would be very pleased to try a Louisiana cocktail."

They all turned their heads to look at Comfort but she didn't even flicker and now moved her chopped vegetables into the salad bowl, and began working on the dressing.

Dinner didn't prove to be any better. When they all sat down at the table, the girl seemed to wait until everyone had taken their seats and then she chose the chair furthest from the chairman.  
He even went as far as complimenting the flavor of the salad but she didn't say anything other than, "I'm glad ya'll like it." She didn't look at him when she said it.

Letant was particularly amused to see Koval so conflicted. Had it been anyone other than the girl, he would've demanded she step aside and tell him what her problem was, but now he was acting uncertain, and defensive and when someone was defensive, it meant that they were trying to protect themself against getting hurt, and it was then Letant realized just how deep the chairman had fallen for the girl, it brought a wicked grin to his lips.

In all honesty, Koval didn't really eat much even though it all tasted wonderful, his thoughts were solely concentrated on trying to get the girl to at least look at him. When dinner ended, they were all going to head towards the sitting room but Letant pulled Koval aside and whispered to him:

"It's now or never, take her outside to the gardens."

Koval took a deep breath and braced himself as he walked over to her direction, she still didn't look at him so he cleared his throat loudly:

"Miss Comfort, I wish to have a few words with you in private, perhaps we could talk out in the garden?"

She seemed to think about it for a moment before walking in the direction of the gardens. He followed after but ran in front of her so he could open the door for her. It was very quiet outside.. too quiet and she still wasn't looking at him, she had her arms crossed in front of her.

"I uhh.. I hope you're feeling better." He began.

"I'm alive." she replied.

There was a long moment of silence and Koval began to dig in his pocket and brought out the black little box. He extended it to her but her face didn't change to happiness or excitement as he had expected, on the contrary, she eyed it suspiciously before finally looking up at him.

"What is that?" She asked wearily.

"It's for you." He then opened it to reveal the sapphire pendant.

"Why are you giving this to me?" She asked with even more suspicion.

"Back on Earth, things between us were not pleasant." He replied.

"I know, you were a jerk to me, when all I tried to do was be nice to ya."

"Handing me an amphibian was nice?"

"You had insulted my project previously, were constantly harrassin' me, and extremely discourteous, when all I wanted to do was help people who are sick."

"I had a job to do and as a Romulan chairman, I know of no other way to get results!" He tried to defend himself.

There was silence for a moment as the girl was obviously considering his words.

"And maybe that's why we should just stay away from each other. You got what you needed from me, so just.. leave me alone. I don't want nothin' from you Sir,"

She said as she eyed the sapphire in his hand.

The girl turned away, she was leaving and to him there could be absolutely nothing worse to happen right now and so he acted despite years of training to be poised and controlled in such matters. For once he needed to do what felt right, so he did.  
He ran towards her; his mind was a blur and all he could think to do to stop her was grab her and hold her to him.

She wasn't fighting him so he tightened his hold and began to run his hands down her back, and over her curly red hair. He inhaled her scent and allowed the rush of adrenaline to coarse throughout his body. He was holding her, just like in his dreams, he was finally holding her except that it felt so much better, his heart rejoiced with the feel of her, he didn't want to let go.

"Please.." He practically begged as he held her in his arms. "I didn't mean you any harm, and that day torments my thoughts more than you know. I... I don't know why things are this way between us, but I do want them to change." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I am sorry, for everything."

He didn't know how long they were standing there just holding each other with his head resting on top of hers, it could have been seconds or it could have been minutes, he didn't know, and he didn't care.  
He felt her hugging him back and when she looked up at him her eyes were red and droplets of water were falling from them.

"Why didn't you just say that in the first place?" She whispered.

He sighed with relief. "I am a complicated man, and for some reason when it comes to you, I never seem to do the right thing."

He held out the box to her again. "I bought this for you a week ago at Rateg's finest jewelry shop, it is a valuable jewel, the equivalent of a precious sapphire and I would be honored if you would wear it as a small token of appreciation for all that you've done, and as a symbol of forgiveness."

She looked at it and then up at him as it dawned on her. "You were the one who left me the bag with the things inside it in my locker." She said it more to herself than to him.

He nodded.

A small smile came upon her lips as she wiped the tears off of her face it felt good that things were ok between them. The previous tension and hurtful feelings were tearing her apart, maybe now they could even become friends.  
She lifted her wild curly hair to expose her creamy neck to him, and she had no idea what the sight of such open flesh did to his person. He was extremely tempted to caress it with his fingers.

"Well?" She said. "Could you put it on for me please?"

He practically giggled with delight as he nervously took the pendant out of the box and did exactly that, his fingers feeling around her neck a lot more than needed, he also made sure to take his time as he did this. Yes, she would be his, completely his.

While all of this was going on, on the second level of the house and behind one of the many windows were Letant, Bea, Jan, and Rosemary intently watching everything that had transpired.

"He almost blew it didn't he?" Letant mumbled.  
Bea playfully hit his arm. "Be nice! He's never been in love before, it's all new to him."

"Poor fellow, it's obvious he has it bad." Jan whispered.

"How much you wanna bet they'll be married by next Summer?" Rosemary said playfully."

"If Koval has his way, they'll be married next month!" Letant replied. "Romulan perception of marriage is not the same as that of humans, we don't court for long periods of time, I made an exception for Bea."

She smirked in turn. "Oh yes, because four months was such a long courting period."

"It was for me." He whispered back before kissing her on the cheek. "Well, at least they're finally on good terms. Let's hope he doesn't screw it up."

* * *

The following couple of days, Koval seemed to dedicate it entirely to being in Comfort's presence.

She and her other human friends had been given the grand tour of the Romulan medical facility and he had been present even though it wasn't required. He was without fail at Letant's house every evening when he got out from his working his chairman duties and for the most part only talked to the girl.

One afternoon, Koval invited them all to eat at one of Rateg's finest restaurants. He was in the middle of a conversation with the girl, she was explaining a Louisiana Earth tradition they have where they make something called gumbo.

"I would like to try this gumbo." He stated. Actually, he didn't really, he just wanted to have a reason to get the girl to come to his estate, and he had been fishing for a reason, and calculated that this was the best way to go about it.

Her teal eyes lit up, almost as much as the sapphire she wore around her neck.  
"I could make gumbo if you really want to. Bea tells me there's an Earth food shop in town, I would just need the ingredients and maybe if I get permission, you could come over and.."

"I was thinking you all could come to my estate; we will make an evening of it."

He smiled at her pleasant reaction to his invitation, everything was going swimmingly well until a voice interrupted his thoughts.

"An invitation! I do so love an invitation!" Koval looked up with a scowl for he already knew who it was.

"Senator Vreenak, I didn't know you spent money on dining out." He sneered.

"Was that a joke Koval? I think that is a first! And what is all this Koval?" He said motioning towards the girls. He then leaned down and smiled at Comfort.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, you're the founder of the Tuvan cure and my, what a beautiful pendant you're wearing! Why it must have cost a small fortune, whoever got it for you must surely care a great deal about you."

"Why I... Thank you.." Comfort replied a little uncomfortable with the Romulan.

Everyone was looking up at the rather skinny Senator, he had a glass of Kali fal in his hand and was scouting the humans sitting with Koval until his eyes fell on Jan. She looked up at him and blushed before looking down at her plate again. A smile graced her lips before she dared to look up at the Senator again, it was instantaneous attraction at it's finest.  
Vreenak snapped his fingers and a waiter came immediately. "I'll be dining here, whatever they're having is fine." He sat in the empty seat next to Jan.

Comfort looked up at Koval and saw him grinding his teeth as he looked over at Vreenak, it was apparent that the two probably didn't get along very well. She slipped her hand over his and Koval practically jumped out of his seat at the feel of her.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

He looked at her small pale hand and immediately took the opportunity to hold hers back in turn as many occasions such as that didn't come often. "Yes I'm fine; I'll explain later." He said as he again looked over at Vreenak who was now having an in depth conversation with Jan.

"A good Romulan Kali Fal should forcibly open one's sinuses well before the first sip, you'll see." He then snapped his fingers again and had the waiter bring her one.

"So, when are we having this gathering at your house Koval?" He asked as he brought out his PADD, let me make a note of it so I am sure to attend."

Koval was immediately going to instinctively tell him what he could do with his self-invited invitation but one look at the girl's smiling and unknowing face put an immediate stop to it.

"Day after Tomorrow, I hope you wont be too busy." Koval ground out.

Actually, that was the day when most of the Senator's were supposed to have a big meeting so it was a big surprise to hear him reply otherwise. "That's perfect; I wouldn't miss this for all the kali fal on Romulus."

Vreenak was definitely up to something, and Koval made a mental note to make sure he found out well before he let him step foot on his property.


	5. Chapter 5

**A short chapter, but I couldn't resist it; enjoy!**

* * *

Chairman Koval got home very late that night. He had again been at Letant's house where his children and a young fat Ferengi were playing with remote control warbirds out in the garden.  
This would have been nothing out of the norm had not Letant himself been one of the ones playing and undoubtedly 'crushing' his children at the game with a wicked grin on his face.

"No fair dad!" Lentak whined. "Mom, tell him it isn't fair!" Bretant added. The boys were almost exactly alike in appearance the only difference was that Lentak was just a hair taller and a little bit chubbier.

"Honey, let them win at least one, you're acting more childish than they are." Bea said as she sat at a table with Jan. Rosemary was out on a date with Kutunah that night and Comfort was in another table sitting with the chairman.

"Now what kind of father would I be if I didn't teach my children to give it their all? A Romulan must be ruthless, cunning, and my children will learn this."

But as he said those oh so valiant words, a pink warbird suddenly appeared in the air and practically crippled Letant's green ship all in just a matter of seconds. There was a joyous cheer and Letant all but dropped his jaw on the pavement. His head swerved towards his left and standing there innocently holding a remote control stood Bianca with a devilish look in her bright blue eyes.

"What? You said to be Ruthless daddy." She said in her high pitched voice.

"You little, come here you!" Letant said. She tried to run away from him but in two giant steps he was there picking her up and showering her with kisses as she laughed and giggled.

Koval couldn't help but watch Letant in awe and he had to admit that in those moments, there was just a twinge of envy for he realized then that he too wanted a family life like that. Other people might find him disagreeable but deep inside he knew that he had what it would take to have children.

This was a side that many in the senate would never see. Letant had been mocked, and at times greatly ridiculed for having taken a human as a wife, but it was obvious to Koval that Letant had never been so happy.

He remembered when Letant was still single; he was a completely different person. Quickly prone to anger and fits of rage, ruthless in his accusations and demands and then one day all of that stopped and people thought that he was suffering from a serious illness and then a month later it was discovered that he was courting the human.

Koval took that moment to look over at Comfort; she was currently beckoning Bianca over and asking questions about how the remote control warbird worked. The little girl explained with exact precision the mechanics of the game, the girl was indeed quite smart.  
He allowed himself to wonder what their children would look like. Wondered if they'd inherit Comfort's beautiful red hair or her teal eyes, whatever the case; they would be remarkable looking children. A smile crept up to his lips as he watched the girl with enormous pride.

"Pssssst. Look at how Koval is lookin' at Comfort." Jan whispered to Bea.

"And she still doesn't know?" Bea whispered back.

"She don't have a dang clue; she just thinks he's tryin' to be friendly to make up for what happened on Earth."

"She must have some suspicion though…." Bea replied.

They were both staring intently at them, Koval in particular had a gleam in his eye as if he were day-dreaming, it was odd to see him like that, they were so use to seeing him with a severe look.  
Then Comfort got up and started playing with the remote war bird but was quickly shot down by Lentak. He and the fat Ferengi high fived each other, the Ferengi in particular giving Comfort a toothy grin.  
Bianca was again explaining to Comfort what she needed to do and it was then that the chairman got up from his seat and walked over to Bretant and asked to have a go at the warbird.

Before anyone knew what was going on, Koval and Comfort were battling one another, Koval chased the pink bird ruthlessly but she was quick to dodge and fire back.

"It is no use Comfort; you will be mine." The chairman said as he gave the girl a deep stare from where he stood with the remote in his hands.

"You'll have to get me first!" She said laughing back.

"Oh, I intend to.." He replied in a deep voice, and a devilish grin.

Meanwhile Bea and Jan were having a laughing fit from where they sat, Bea almost choked and Letant came around and patted her on the back.

"Had one too many mint juleps did you my dear?" but he knew why they were laughing as he too looked up with a grin on his face. He knew Koval and it wouldn't be long now, the trouble was that Koval was hiding his intentions less and less; allowing his inner passions to flow freely and that could be overwhelming for a human. Koval was still keeping himself in check but it wouldn't be long before he made his intentions known to the girl, Letant shuddered to think what would happen if the girl turned him down; it would most definitely not be good; perhaps they would need to have another talk soon.

* * *

Koval couldn't go to sleep after he got home. The events of the day kept replaying in his mind, in particular when he had watched the girl's reaction to the matching pair of earrings he got her to go with the sapphire pendant. He had purchased them on a whim really but it had been worth it. The look upon her face and then the unexpected lengthy embrace he had received from her was thrilling and he found himself wanting more all the time, his blood roared with the need like a drug, he simply needed more and his mind scoured for ways he could get it.

* * *

The next morning at breakfast Rosemary excitedly talked about her date with Kutunah, Letant had already left as he needed to be at a meeting bright and early, and the kids were at school, so it was just the girls sitting around and talking.

"But 'nough about me." Rosemary said, how was '_the chairmans_' visit?

Everyone turned to Comfort, her eyes lit up. "It was great! Look at what he got for me!"

She pulled her red curly hair back and everyone gasped at the sight of the earrings.

"My, he must care an awful lot bout you Comfort." Jan said

She cocked her head to the side. "You know, that's weird, you're like the second person to say that t'me, but we're just friends, and I reckon I'm real glad of it given our past history."

"So, you like him then." Bea said with a smirk.

"Sure I…." Her face suddenly changed and a shy grin came upon her face. "Now wait a second if y'all think that he.."

They all nodded and Comforts face practically exploded with how red it became.

"There's no way.. No way he would eva see me like that."

"Why not?" Jan asked. "Seems to me like y'all would make a nice match."

"I seriously doubt he see's me that way guys." Comfort replied.

"but let's say he did see you that way Comfort, what would you say? Would you accept him?" Bea asked.

"Oh.. I don't know, I mean, I think he's attractive, and he's been real nice t' me lately. I never really thought of it now y'all mention it." She licked her lips and gave a girlish grin. "Do you…. Do y'all think he?"

They all nodded. "We was wonderin how long before you noticed Comfort." Jan replied.

But Comfort couldn't believe it, in her mind there was no way the chairman had any romantic interest, she was human for goodness sake! And she was willing to bet the only reason why he was as agreeable to her now was because she had come up with the cure for Tuvans syndrome and they had gone through all the mess and he was simply trying to make amends, there was simply no other reason for his being so kind and obliging towards her… right?


	6. Chapter 6

The following morning, Chairman Koval was called into a meeting in Praetor Neral's office.

It was common for chairman Koval to brief Neral over Romulan intelligence issues, or other pending conflicts brought on by the senate, it was a continual routine that by no means raised any red flags to the chairman until Neral sat back in his seat and observed the chairman as if studying him carefully.

"There is just one more thing before you go chairman." Praetor Neral began, and already; Koval knew what this was going to be about, and he had been expecting it to some degree.

"These lovely pictures showed up on my desk the other day." He said as he handed them over to the chairman.

Koval opened the envelope and took out the pictures. Immediately, the very first one was a picture of when he and Comfort had dined at the restaurant in Rateg and he had been holding her hand. He flipped over to see another and it was a picture of him standing outside of Letant's estate and Comfort was greeting him at the door. The third was of them when they had taken a tour at Rateg's medical facility and he had leaned down so she could ask him something but the way the picture was taken made it seem as if they were about to kiss. It was this particular picture that Koval couldn't seem to stop looking at. He envied the man in that picture, that man was on intimate terms with the girl or at least that's the way the picture represented the relationship; it was like a torturous tease and he found himself grinding his teeth angrily, _that scoundrel Vreenak! I bet he is the one up to all this!_

"So.." Neral continued. "It is obvious what the nature of your relationship with the human is Koval but my question is why?"

"With all due respect Praetor, I don't believe that is anyone's business but my own."

"So it's true then, you plan to take her as your wife."

Koval didn't answer and a scowl formed across Praetor Neral's face. "Really Koval, a human? For goodness sake! You're the damn Chairman of the Tal Shiar! I would expect better from someone like you."

"She is not just some human!." Koval choked out. "She is a brilliant scientist and has saved hundreds of lives with the discovery of the helicobactori bacteria, surely even someone as sharp and brilliant as yourself can see that that alone sets her apart from other humans."

"About that chairman. There are some who say that her discovery was a manufactured ploy. More humans are coming to Romulus as a result, infiltrating our great empire!"

"A ploy?" Koval yelled. "That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard in all the time I have been chairman! "

"Be that as it may Chairman, an ongoing investigation will be conducted." Praetor Neral said with tremendous ease and self satisfaction.

"I wont stop seeing her." Koval replied.

"Excuse me?" Neral asked.

"I wont stop seeing the girl, these accusations are unfounded, a cruel prank and I will not yield to it. I am a grown Romulan, I do my job well, and who I choose I take as a wife should not be a topic of business discussion."

"That is your choice Chairman Koval, you are dismissed."

* * *

Koval spent the rest of the day in a disagreeable state. There was no reason for anyone to busy themselves with his business, but then again, he had acted the same when Letant had first been courting Bea, and he closed his eyes and sighed loudly. Things were going to get messy, and to some degree he had already been anticipating it, it was just a question of whether the girl was worth it, and he had already decided long ago that she was.

As if right on cue, there was a series of beeps coming from his computer and then his secretary's face appeared.

"You have a call coming through Chairman, from one Comfort Smith."

He didn't mean to, but a genuine smile appeared on his face and the secretary stared back as if in total shock for she could count on one hand the number of times she had ever seen the chairman actually smile.

"I'll put her through then." She replied without even waiting for the chairman to say it. Then the girl's face appeared on the screen and his heart began to beat at a furious pace and his lips went dry, if he could; he would have reached across the screen, taken her in his arms and kissed the life out of her.

"I am very pleased to see you." He said.

"I am too Mr. Chairman." The girl replied and it caused Koval to frown slightly. "Comfort, please stop calling me chairman, I prefer you call me Koval."

Her teal eyes grew wide, and a blush began to creep up her cheeks, Koval couldn't help but grin at the reaction. "umm.. ok.. uh I'm calling you… Koval.. because I wanted to know if you still wanted me to come over and make you gumbo tonight."

Koval's jaw dropped. "That's right, I completely forgot about that." He replied.

"I know you're busy, we can jus, postpone it for 'nother time." She began.

"No, no… I uhh.. I'm going to notify my staff that you and your friends are coming over so that they'll be expecting you. My cook Freela will be expecting a list of supplies and she'll go out and buy them for you."

"You aint gotta do that Chai… I mean Koval" She said blushing madly again. "Bea and the rest of the girls wanna do the shopping, we're kinda looking forward to it actually so that when you get home, it'll all be ready. Besides, your cook might not be familiar with Earth ingredients."

'_When he got hom_e' He thought. The way she said it held such a wondrous charm to him, that all the pent up anger he had previously felt due to his meeting with the Praetor suddenly lifted and melted away.

"You make a good point, and I am very much looking forward to it." He said with a smile.

"Me too, I guess I'll see ya later then Koval." She replied with a shy smile and a maddening blush, and then the screen went blank and he let out a long sigh. He now understood why Letant had not backed down when the same thing had happened to him, it was one of those things one did not understand until you had personally gone through it. He too would not back down, and he was determined to make Comfort his wife now more than ever.

* * *

Koval had never been more excited to get home. He even left work ten minutes early, something which he never did before. He stopped by the florist and picked up a vase of Romulan roses. They were blue but the inside of the flower had swirls of bright orange, he knew she would probably appreciate their beauty. When he finally got home, he was a bit upset that she had not been waiting to greet him at the door but once he stepped into his kitchen he understood why. Bea, Jan and Rosemary where there as well helping out and the women simultaneously let out a gasp when he arrived with the enormous vase of roses.

"My word!" Comfort gasped as she beheld the beautiful flowers. "These are just.. this can't be for me." She said.

"But they are." Koval smirked. "I'll just set them down on the table since I see you're busy." There was a process when making gumbo where you had to constantly be stirring, and that's the stage she was right now.

"uh Mr. Chairman, I invited Kutunah over, I hope you don't mind." Rosemary said.

"I do not." He replied but he was looking at Comfort. She dipped a spoon into the rich broth and brought it up so that he could taste it. Koval took the opportunity to place his hand over hers and she guided the spoon into his mouth, their eyes locked and Comfort watched as if hypnotized as the spoon entered his mouth. "Mmmm, that is without a doubt the best dish I have ever tasted." He finally replied. "I would like another taste just to verify if it has enough salt."

The other girls were giggling as they watched. "I bet if you asked him anything he would say yes to it right now." Bea whispered to the other girls.

"Let's see if it'll work." Jan replied.

"Chairman, we invited the entire senate to dinner, including Praetor Neral and all the humans currently visiting Romulus to your home this evening." Bea said, they all watched with wide eyes at his reaction, but he was currently laughing at something Comfort said and whispering something in her ear.

"Chairman?" Bea asked.

"huh.. oh yeah.. that's fine." He finally replied.

They all broke out laughing, Jan in particular howling so loud that tears streamed down her face. "This is great! Ask him if we can use his credit card to go shopping! I want a new pair of shoes!"

Just then the doorbell rang and Jan pushed herself off the counter. "I'll go get it." She had to jog since Koval's estate was so vast, it took a few minutes to get from the kitchen to the front door, and when she opened the door, there stood Senator Vreenak with a bottle of kali fal in his hand.

"Why Jan, were you anxiously expecting my arrival?"

"uhhh…"

"But of course you were. I brought over one of my finest Kali fal reserves, and I'll even share some with you." He said with a wink.

"uhhhhh"

"But where is the chairman? Isn't he the host of this magnificent get together?"

"uhhhhhh"

"Snap out of it Jan jeez! You think you never saw a Romulan before!" Rosemary said playfully as she slapped Jan on the back.

"Thank you very much Senator Vreenak, we will enjoy this!" and before Vreenak knew it, Rosemary had swiped the bottle of Kali fal away from Vreenak and was making her way with it to the kitchen.

"Hey that's! Just a minute!" Vreenak called as he ran after Rosemary.

They ran into the kitchen where Rosemary had stopped in her tracks when she saw the chairman and Comfort standing awfully close to one another, and then the pot that was right in front of her was boiling away.

"Comfort, the gumbo!"

She broke out of her trance with the chairman and removed the pot immediately off the stove but in the process she burned herself by accident.

"Ouch!" She cried as she shook her hand in the air.

Vreenak immediately came over and grabbed her hands. "Let me see the damage." He began nodding and making a "tut, tut, tut" sound before looking up at Comfort. "It is fortunately not too grievous a burn my dear, I think the most appropriate remedy is to receive ten kisses on each hand given to you by chairman Koval."

Comfort immediately moved her hands away from Vreenak, blushing madly and running towards the sink to pour cold water on her hands when Koval placed his hand gently on her shoulder in a reassuring fashion. "I have something that will work better if you'd like to follow me."

He then gave a malicious stare at Vreenak and pointed at him. "We need to have some words later Gherkin."

"Hey! I told you that I don't like that name used… whatever you say." He replied as he looked around for Jan, she was standing sheepishly next to the bar and observing him intently. A wide grin formed on his face before he strolled over to her and looked deep into her brown eyes before asking: "So, what did you cook for me?"

* * *

Comfort and the chairman had gone upstairs to his room where he kept all his medical supplies. He looked through his cabinet and brought out a blue jar that held a waxy looking green paste. "Now, let me see your hands."

He didn't really need to put the paste on for her, but he wasn't going to let an opportunity to touch her slip by. His warm hands dipped into the cold paste and then rubbed slowly against her palms and fingers. They were both silent and at first Comfort was doing her best to avoid eye contact for both fear of what she was finally realizing to be true, but more because she did not know what this would mean for her if it were to be true. Her hands were slightly trembling, and her heart was beating so fast that she was sure he could feel her pulse just by touching her hands. She finally looked up at him when she realized it was taking a good bit of time. Their eyes locked and the motion of his hands against hers ceased. She licked her lips nervously and his eyes hungrily followed the movement.

Her eyes flickered when she realized the chairman was leaning closer to her, his eyes devouring her face, seeking physical contact. She felt herself in turn lean closer to him, her eyes closing in preparation for the inevitable. It was then that the door crashed open and standing there, having interrupted what was probably the most intense moment of Koval's life was Vreenak.

"Hey you guys! Everyone is downstairs waiting for… Oh… I'm sorry; didn't mean to interrupt." He said with a grin that said the contrary. "I'll just.. uh… We're waiting downstairs." He then immediately closed the door and was gone.

* * *

**A show of hands for those of you who wanna slap Vreenak over the head right now... Yup.. Jan, really, can you try to control your man over here? He's ruining my story :-P**


	7. Chapter 7

**And so the complications and harsh facts of life begin to surface in this chapter. Thank you all for your reviews, I'm really shocked to see the reception this story has gotten!**

* * *

Reluctantly; Koval and Comfort had headed down to dinner where Kutunah and Letant had arrived and were eagerly discussing taking an outing in Rateg's lake district. Koval's mind however was engaged in other thoughts.

"Right Chairman?" Letant asked.

"What was that?" Koval asked as he was startled out of his thoughts. "Two days from Tomorrow, K'Vec Lake, we'll show the girls a real outing Romulan style!" he lifted his fist in the air as if to enforce what he was saying.

"Oh... of course." He finally answered as he looked up at Comfort, but her mind seemed to be engaged elsewhere too as she slowly ate her gumbo that had somehow miraculously not gotten burned despite the previous accident.

Letant narrowed his eyes at the chairman and then looked over at the girl and saw similar expressions on both their faces.

"Chairman, if I could have a word in private." Letant asked as he got up from the table.

"Honey, finish your dinner first." Bea called back to him.

"It wont be but a second darling." He replied with a wink.

Koval followed where they ended up in the recreation room of the house. The marble floors were finely carpeted, there was a huge Mohagonay bookshelf filled to the brim with nothing but Romulan literature, and a roaring fireplace with a couple of cushioned chairs scattered about.

"What has happened with the girl? Have you made your intentions known to her yet?" Letant quickly asked.  
By now, it was sort of an unspoken agreement that Letant was Koval's official dating advisor, and he needed to be informed of the latest events.

"Nothing as such was said, but we were about to... Before Vreenak interrupted. I am suspicious of his motives for I have discovered that pictures of me and the girl have been circulating. It has even reached the eyes of Praetor Neral; I have a feeling Vreenak has been spying on me."

"I doubt that." Letant quickly replied.

Koval raised a questioning brow. "You sound very sure of yourself."

"Vreenak has his motives but they're not to sabotage his own boss, he's quirky, not stupid. Besides, he's after one of the human girls. Before you know it, every Romulan in the senate will be bethrowed to a human at the rate things are going."

"Then who could have?" Koval wondered.

"Think about it, who do you think would be so upset about you seeing a human that they would go as far as wanting to sabotage your career and good name?"

Koval scoffed. "Too many to count."

"But is there anyone in particular? Maybe an old girlfriend perhaps who might not like the fact that you're serious about the girl?"

He seemed to give it some thought, but then shook his head. "The majority of them broke it off with me so I doubt that they would be terribly upset, in any case the pictures only prove that I am courting the girl which is not a crime, so as far as I'm concerned, they can shoot away all the pictures they want. Eventually everyone will know once I formerly come out with the news."

"And when does that take place?" Letant asked.

"I was intending to speak to the girl before Vreenak interrupted me."

"When you do speak to the girl, you must remember that you must take things at a slow pace, do not overwhelm her with your plans for the future, and you must keep in mind that she has plans of her own as well. She is younger than you Koval, and her career is just beginning to take off while you have already established yours, if you insinuate that you would expect her to give up her plans to be your wife, she might not be receptive of you."

"Koval nodded. What you are saying makes sense, so I must offer her an alternative so that she might better herself and continue her studies while simultaneously still be my mate."

"Yes; that is your best bet." Letant nodded.

"Your advice to me is appreciated, and will not be forgotten Letant." Koval replied. "Let us get back to dinner."

But Koval didn't go back to dinner in the sense of sitting down and finishing his meal. As soon as they got back to the table, he knelt down to where Comfort was and after whispering something in her ear, she quickly got up out of her seat and followed him outside where he led her to his impressive and very vast garden. To Comfort, it seemed that the Romulans were obsessed with lush green life. They walked a ways before they ended up sitting down in a nice gazebo, the sun was starting to set and the skies had taken on a purplish hue.

It might have been the breath taking scenery, or maybe the emotional height of the situation, but when Koval sat down and faced Comfort to tell her everything he had prepared to say in his mind, it simply was not there anymore. It was absurd; nothing of that nature had ever occurred to him. He was a well thought out, and extremely calculated man. He always knew what to say, was infamous for carefully choosing his words and manipulating every possible situation so that in the end, everything worked out in his favor, it was how he had escalated to his rank of chairman but for the first time ever; he simply did not know what to say, all he could do was stare at Comfort's beautiful teal eyes as she smiled at him.

"What is it Koval?" She finally asked, and before she knew it, he had taken her in his arms and kissed her.  
It was the most glorious sensation Koval had ever encountered. The blood in his body roared with the feel of finally having the girl; finally.  
His hands took on a life of their own as they searched and caressed her back, her hair, her neck, her face, anything he could get a hold of. It was a desperation he had never known, and it was both freighting and exciting.  
It had never been this way with anyone, the intensity of such want and need made him feel was if he would burst. The emotion traveled from his chest and then scattered throughout his body, and as if to alleviate it, he pressed her harder against him, causing her to let out a low moan against his mouth. She would withdraw for breath, her pink lips already swollen, but he'd crush his lips back against hers, not being able to withstand being parted from her for more than a second.

His inner passions were building all the more as he felt her fingers caress his hair, but then they began brushing against the tips of his ears and that set him off at an entire different level. His kisses became even more fervent and he began tugging at her clothes harshly. She tried to pull away from him but he was like a man possessed and she was suddenly startled by his intensity.  
"Koval.." She tried to pull away, but it only caused his strength to increase. "Koval stop!" With all her strength, she yanked herself away from him.  
She was rubbing her shoulders and felt a piece of her shirt, he had almost torn the sleeve completely off.

"I'm so sorry.." He practically begged when he realized what he had done. "This has.. this has never happened to me before. Please.." He scooted towards her and thankfully she didn't turn away. He carefully lifted his hands for he so wanted to feel her. She watched his hands and then looked into his eyes and apparently found what she had been looking for since she slowly began lifting her arms too so that they embraced one another. Her small hands felt the material of his robe as it pressed against his chest in a delicious fashion. He wanted to kiss her but was afraid of losing control again.  
He felt her giggle and then ask. "S'thats why you brought me out here? Ta sneak a kiss?"

"Well... that was not the initial plan, but you are so beautiful that I could not help myself."

He felt her move before she asked: "You really think I'm beautiful? Me? A human?"

He pulled her towards him so that he was looking directly into her eyes. "Yes, you are the most beautiful female I have ever known, and believe me when I say that I have never uttered those words to anyone else before. I do not think I could bear it if you ever left. Promise me you will always stay by my side as my wife Comfort."

Her eyes grew wide. "I had no idea that you... " She suddenly pulled away from him.

"Koval, I can't stay here, I have a home back on Earth. I have school to finish..I.. My ma and pa! I can't just 'bandon those things!"

"I'm not asking you to abandon anything Comfort. You can finish school here on Romulus. You're already famous here, and the learning institutions would gladly accept you, as for your family, you can bring them here. Everything is solved; I don't see why you should worry."

"So that's it, we should just pack up our things and move t' a planet that we're unfamiliar with. Let me ask you though, why don't you move t' Earth?"

"That is out of the question Comfort, my life is here on Romulus, and besides, people on Earth have a very bad opinion of me given our past history, surely you see that."

But she apparently didn't because she was now deep in thought with her arms crossed in front of her. This was not going as planned.

"Comfort; please be reasonable about this." He began when he realized he was not winning this debate.

"I need t' think bout it." She replied.

He sighed loudly and held her in his arms again. "I will provide everything for you, you will never want for anything; I promise you."

* * *

"So, tell us all the juicy gossip Comfort!" Rosemary exclaimed as she held a pint of Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey ice cream. They had been so surprised to find it at the Earth food store that they had gotten about 20 pints to take back home. "The chairman takes you outside for a few minutes and you come back misty-eyed, and with torn clothes; spill!"

She blushed and smiled awkwardly, causing the rest of the girls to giggle.

"I bet he asked her to marry him." Bea said as she dipped her spoon into her own pint of ice cream.

"How di'you know that?" Comfort asked her in shock.

Bea shrugged. "He's a Romulan, when they want something, they get it. It was the same with me and Letant."

"Did you give in?" She asked with wide eyes.

"Of course not, which will make him want you all the more, and eventually you compromise."

They all squealed, and laughed, all except Comfort. "He wants me to live here though and I don't know if I can do that. I got my ma and pa back home, I know no other life."

"That unfortunately is a decision you'll have t' make Comfort." Jan replied. "Just think bout it. Your folks left their folks house to make a family of their own right?"

She nodded.

"Well, seems to me like it's your turn to do the same."

Comfort shook her head. I don't know though; I feel like I need to know him better before I make that kind of decision."

"That is absolutely true." Bea said. "Don't let him rush you, he might have made up his mind but you still need some time to court him, Especially after all you too have been through. Tell him that, and if he doesn't agree, then you'll know he's not serious about you."

Comfort seemed to think about it before nodding. "Guess yer right. I'll talk to him bout it. I really like him, he's changed so much since I first knew him, and I have to admit, the idea of being his wife holds a nice charm." She smiled coyly and giggled.

"Yup, she's got it bad." Rosemary laughed. "Speaking of having it bad, what's the deal with you and Vreenak Jan?"

It was Jan's turn to blush as she mumbled a bit before finally letting out her secret. "He asked me out on a date for tomorrow night."  
The girls squealed with delight at her confession. "I'll eat to that!" Rosemary replied as she lifted her pint of B&J"

* * *

Letant slapped the front of his forehead after listening to Koval retell what had happened (leaving out certain details of course)

"I thought we had agreed you would take it slow." Letant replied from the computer screen. "And you've already proposed marriage? I had explained that humans court first, then they marry."

"I do not wish to court! I already know that I want her!" Koval ground out.

"You tell her that and she'll turn away from you, take it from someone who already has had the experience."

"This is all so infuriating." Koval said as he rose out of his chair and began to pace around his office.

"It is not as bad as you think, just make the most of it when you do see her, make it so that she cannot possibly wait until you are married. My Bea wanted to wait a full year before we were married Koval, a FULL YEAR and I was able to cut that down to just four months." He finished with a satisfied grin. "Lavish her, treat her like a queen and you wont even have to propose again, she will be the one to do it, making the victory all the sweeter." He said as he took a sip of water.

"Perhaps you are right." Koval replied.

"You've seen my family Koval, it can be the same for you as well."

Koval nodded. "I will concede to do this."


	8. Chapter 8

**The chapter is going to start out with some Drama/Angst, which there will be some scattered throughout. Remember that Koval and Comfort share a bit of an age difference and they have different personalities that they have to work through, but I will balance it out with some humor and romance towards the end of the chapter. Hope you enjoy, and again; thanks for the reviews!**

* * *

The following day, Koval arrived at Letant's estate bright and early, so early in fact that Comfort was still in her pajamas and just barely finishing breakfast when he was announced into the dining room, causing her to almost choke on her orange juice.  
He walked in looking impeccable, and proud as always, but he had a special smile that he would allow only for his Comfort to see.  
She was alone this morning as Bea was taking the children to school, and then Jan and Rosemary decided to do a double date and left early to do some shopping.

Comfort smiled as he took a seat next to her. "Well I'll be! This is an unexpected surprise! I didn't know you were gonna call on me so bright n' early!"

"I have made arrangements; we will tour three Romulan Universities this morning, two of which specialize in Viral diseases and other associated sciences. Afterwards we shall take a brief recess to consume nourishment, and afterward that, I will show you what you humans like to term as: 'a surprise.' "

Comfort raised a brow at him. "I assume yer takin' time off your busy schedule to accommodate me."

He gave a nod and a closed-lip smile. "You are worth it my future wife."

She laughed at his response and covered her face with her hands, a part of her still thinking that this is all just some crazy dream and that when she woke up; she'd be back in her house near the bayou, getting ready to go to work or school.

"I fail to see the humor, my Comfort." He replied. Everything that Letant had advised of was into account so he could not see why she was reacting this way. He was giving her everything that she wanted just now.

"I'll go with you, but in the future I would prefer if you talk to me b'fore you start makin' arrangements. You didn't even know if I had plans already."

"I am looking out for your best interest! For our best interest! And that should be our first priority!" Koval countered.

"Say I go to these schools and I reckon I don't like any one of them, then what?" She asked as she crossed her arms over her chest. She was a feisty one, that was true and certain, it was both thrilling and slightly annoying for he was going out of his way far and beyond for her, but as odd as it was; he liked that she had a mind of her own and didn't automatically give in; it made things all the more exciting since everyone gave into him without question.

"Then you would be foolish. There is no greater learning to be done than the one's accomplished at a Romulan institute."

"You forget that the institution where I did all of my learnin' was based on Earth, so your opinion is highly debatable."

Yup, she had him there, and since he couldn't really counter her statement, he went with an emotional tactic.

"So you want to leave me, is that what you are trying to tell me Comfort?"

They stayed staring at each other for long moments, and then Comfort pushed her chair back and picked up her dirty dishes. Her silence was maddening; maybe this was a bad idea after all.

"I'll go since you already made arrangements." She then turned away and began walking to the kitchen. She wasn't happy, and if he read her correctly, she was probably angry and that wouldn't do at all. He got up and walked after her.

"I really do only want what is best." He said softly as he stood so close behind her that if he leaned an inch forward, he would have bumped into her.

She turned around to face him, her expression one of confusion. "Best for who Koval? You? Why are you so fixated on marrin' me anyway? We hardly know each other, and I'm human and… less than two months ago you hated me!"

He sighed deeply. "You still have not forgiven me."

"I have!" She countered. "But I'm not a Romulan, and I have dreams and ambitions too, it's not just about what you want. All I'm sayin' is if you're going to make a decision that involves me; my opinion should matter in the decision too."

"You do not understand. I am looking out for your best interest, if this were about me I wouldn't allow for us to even be seen together in public. Before you, I would never have been seen talking to a human! Even the Praetor has come to me asking why I have been carrying on with a human. I have my own superior questioning my motives all because of you!"

He would have kept going but he saw the look on her face and knew that he might as well put his foot in his mouth.

"This just proves why we shouldn't be t'gether Koval." She looked down at his finely shined shoes as she said this. "I'm sorry that I've caused you trouble. It's obvious you have a reputation' t' uphold; truly, I wont bother you anymore." She turned around, but he spun her back to him.

"NO!" He cried and pulled her in his arms. "I will not let you go that easy!"

"You obviously need to if I'm causin' you so much trouble." She replied.

She had an idea of what was going on. This was obviously something that he had been hiding, and while the argument could be seen as an attack on her person, it was also a confession of what he's been having to deal with, and his wanting reassurance that she acknowledged the fact that he was going through some trouble due to the nature of their relationship, but at the same time; he needed to know that this ordeal didn't mean she was now going to give up her life for him. This was a choice he had made on his own, and he needed to stand up to it, not make her feel guilty about it.

The smell of her perfume reached his nostrils and he inhaled her scent deeply.

"I can't let you go. You are the most wonderful being I have ever known! I … Praetor Neral can rot in hell! I will not lose you!"  
He bellowed before he pulled her in for a searing kiss. She wasn't responding to it, so he stopped to look at her. She slowly lifted her hands so that they cradled his face. She looked deeply into his eyes and tentatively brushed her lips against his before the kiss grew once more, and when he felt her tongue, it was like an electrifying pulse, shocking his entire system, ultimately leaving him weak in the knees; another reaction he had never before experienced.

Her fingers were prodding along the golden symbols embroidered on his fine tunic, and then her hand disappeared just beneath it so that she felt the warm touch of his smooth skin. She was tempted to explore further but he grabbed her wrist gently as if to stop her.

"Be careful my Comfort, I do not wish to escalate things further than what you are ready for." He whispered in her ear before nibbling on her lobe. She moved her hand away shyly and she felt him chuckle in response before kissing her lips again. A slow, yet deeply emotional act that portrayed everything that words could never say. Kissing had never really been an interest of his before but it was quickly becoming one of his favorite things where Comfort was concerned.

"I'm sorry." He whispered in her ear between kisses. "I should have taken your opinion into consideration. I will not fail to do so in the future."

"What about us being seen in public?" She whispered. "Are you sure you will not care?"

He kissed her ardently as if to give her his response.

"So... " He whispered in her ear. "Would you like to accompany me to see the Romulan Universities my Comfort? I can cancel if you prefer."

She smiled coyly. _That was more like it. "_Yes I'll go, just give me a few minutes to change."  
She cradled his face and gave him a long and smoldering kiss before finally letting go and leaving in the direction of her guest room. Koval watched her go and sighed loudly as he leaned against the kitchen counter. "This human will be the death of me."

The first place they went to was Rateg Medical Institute where their guide was a skinny and nervous looking Romulan who had apparently never seen the chairman before in his life and was having trouble coping with the situation. His mouth opened as if trying to speak but only a series of squeaks emerged. Comfort looked awkwardly over at the Chairman but he was well poised with his chin up as always.

"If you will just guide us to the infectious disease area, we'll take it from there."  
For this particular outing there were four armed guards surrounding Comfort and the Chairman as opposed to just the usual two, and she wondered if he had doubled up because this was their first official outing alone.

Their nervous host opened the first lab door with jittery fingers and motioned for them to go in. The chairman placed his hand over Comfort's shoulder, stilling her to wait. Two of the guards went into the room, did a search and came back with their nod of approval.

"I will go in first, just to make sure." He whispered to her. It suddenly dawned on Comfort that this was the reason why she had seen all the Romulan men always lead first whenever they were out in public. At first she thought it had something to do with Romulan male arrogance but it never dawned on her that it could be for safety reasons.

They went into the lab and Comfort was amazed to say the least at their state of the art equipment. At one point she took a seat at one of the stations and began looking at vials of different Romulan bacteria specimens through a microscope. Beside the table was a stack of books the students used at the institute, and once Comfort started to read through them, she didn't want to let go.

"Comfort, we still have two more establishments to visit." He reminded her.

"Yeah, just let me finish this paragraph."

"You can take the books with you if you want." He replied.

"Really?" She asked hopefully.

Koval nodded to one of his guards and he picked up the stack of books, and they were on their way, the host of the institute mumbling nervously as they left.  
Oddly enough something similar occurred at the other school they went to. Their guide was not as nervous but he was obviously very intimidated by the chairman and it was then that Comfort realized just how much respect he commanded amongst the Romulan people, it was no wonder he was so use to getting his way all the time. She smirked to herself at her revelation.  
By the time they were done, the back seat of the Chairman's hover car was loaded with stacks of books. Comfort hungrily poured over them as they rode over to get something to eat.

"I admire your thirst for knowledge; any one of those institutions would be extremely fortunate to have you." He said as he watched her read.

"I have t' say I'm real impressed. The first school in particular had remarkable tools and advanced equipment. I could see myself studyin' there for hours."  
He gave a self-satisfied smirk at her response, surely she had now seen how practical it would be to stay living in Romulus, there would be no need for her to go back to Earth, especially after he'd show her the 'surprise'.

The restaurant that they dined at for lunch was small, and once he and Comfort walked in, the owner flipped over the "Back in 1 hour" sign and locked the door. It wasn't as fancy as the other place he had taken her to where they had met Vreenak, but once they stepped out to the back and she saw the view of the lake, she immediately preferred this restaurant better.  
He explained the items on the menu to her and she ended up going with the T'kunclut dish which he said was similar to grilled fish and vegetables.  
When his dish arrived however, she couldn't help but stare at his plate. It looked to be like octopus or something of that nature. She took a bite out of hers and smiled immediately. "Wow, this is very good."

"Surprised?" He asked.

"Well.. yes, a little." She replied.

"Try some of mine." He cut a piece of the octopus looking thing and picked it up with his fork to feed it to her.  
Watching in awe as she opened her pink mouth and carefully tasted the food. She blinked and smiled again. "Wow, that's so tender!"

"The cook of this establishment has been preparing food for 120 years, he is very skilled at his craft."

"Here, try mine." She said as she cut a piece and also fed it to him. She had to admit that despite their differences, she was growing extremely fond of him, and then there was the kissing which was unlike anything she had ever experienced back in Louisiana with Bobby Joe Fenton. That had just been a complete mess that she never wanted to have repeated, but something had told her that it wouldn't be like that with Koval, and it wasn't; it was always indescribable. She wondered about how other things would be with him too as she looked at him from across the table. He looked up having noted that he was being observed, and she broke her intense stare with a slight jump, and a deep blush. This did not go unnoticed but he decided not to say anything about it at present. Maybe Letant was right, maybe if he were fortunate enough, he'd have her as his wife in four months as well, or less.

"You finished already." He stated in surprise.

"Yeah, it was good." She replied.

"Are you still hungry?"

She shrugged. "I could eat more."

"Good, they have wonderful desserts here."

And that they did. They ordered four, three of which the chairman insisted she had to try. One was almost exactly like a strawberry shortcake, the other had a very deep purple color and seemed to be oozing green sauce, it didn't look appetizing at all but it turned out the be the best tasting one out of the four and she ended up eating the entire thing.  
They finished with a hot cup of tea which tasted a lot like peppermint, over all this had been the best Romulan meal she had had since she arrived.

Koval exchanged a few words with the owner of the establishment and then they were off once again. Maybe it was the delicious food, or the breath taking views of the neighborhood which they were passing, but Comfort decided to be bold and scoot over very close to the chairman while they were in the car. She tried to do this discreetly, pretending to be observing something out his side window. Her fingers brushed up against his hand in the process, and she said something or other about the pleasant views, but was cut short when the chairman silenced her with a deep kiss. The guards seated across from them gave each other a shove, and rolled their eyes before going back to pretending they were nothing but flies on the wall. One of them would stare curiously every now and then, especially when their kissing became intense but then the hover car came to a stop, and they got out first.

It took a few moments for the chairman to compose himself. When he got out of the car, his hair was disheveled and his lips were swollen as was the case with Comfort as well. She looked around at the small, but cute looking two story house.

"Koval, where are we?"

Two of the guards had already gone inside to do a thorough search. "If you do decide to stay here on Romulus, you and your family will need a place to live. As kind and attentive as Letant and his wife are, they too value their alone time."

She blinked.  
"Koval...I can't... This is too much."

"Before you say what you can and can't do, at least let us take a look inside." He raised a brow and led the way inside to what hopefully would be her new home... at least until they were married.


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank You all so much for your reviews! I am so loving writing this story!**

**The character of Tristan mentioned in this one chapter was created by: ByaSouthernlady and does not belong to me. I borrowed him just for this chapter and I hope will be to her satisfaction :-)**

**The mention of Vreenak being a dinosaur was inspired by Thyme2read's story called: "Courting Required" Take some time to read these ladies stories, they are brilliant!**

* * *

"So… I take it things are going well with the girl then?" Letant asked as soon as the chairman walked into his office that morning. Since he had taken the previous day off to spend it with the girl, he came in early to work in order to catch up with things.

"I would say so." Koval replied as he came around and sat behind his desk.

Letant slid across a PADD. "It would appear that the public has found that out as well."

And there before him was picture of him and the girl touring one of the Romulan School's they had visited. Their posture and close proximity to one another was enough for anyone to see that there was more to them than just a friendly acquaintance.

"Those pictures don't bother me anymore Letant, they can snap away for all I care." The chairman said as he began to upload all the messages he had in his work folder.

"They began the investigation, sent a team out to Louisiana, I think they mean to get any scrap of information they can lay their hands on and blow it into elephantine proportions; I hope you are aware of this."

"I will not be intimidated Letant." Koval said as if without a care in the world, which caused Letant in turn to grin.

"I'll be damned Koval; things really are going well aren't they? Did you show her the house then?"

Koval nodded. "I did, and she was beyond delighted, but…"

"She has to think about it." He and Letant said at the same time. Causing Letant to laugh out jovially. "Ah, reminds me of when Bea and I were courting, it seems human females are more alike than I originally thought."

* * *

Things were busy that day for Koval as he jumped from meeting to meeting and responded to a lot of his messages from his work folder. Every now and again he would look to see if anything personal had come from Comfort but there was nothing. Initially he thought about skipping his mid-day break to focus on work, but his desire to see the girl overrode his business reasoning. Two guards accompanied him as he rode over to Letant's place where he spotted the group of human women pulling groceries and supplies out of their car.

"Your love-sick Romulan has arrived Comfort." Jan called out to her.

She looked up from the bags of groceries and smiled as both guards approached them. She dropped her things and walked over to him, she wanted to kiss him but there were currently too many people around.

"I had not heard from you all day and I was worried for your well being." He began.

She smiled in turn but then frowned. "I called ya this mornin' though, and your secretary said you were in a meetin' so I left a message, she said she'd let you know I called ya."

Koval frowned. "She did not notify me."

"Maybe she just forgot or somethin' " but they both knew better, and Koval made a mental note to have a few words with her.

"You wanna come inside so I can make you lunch? We were gettin' supplies for the lake outing tomorrow."

Koval looked at the other women who waved or nodded at his direction, he nodded in turn.

"I should be going; I have much work to do." He replied, but he didn't move and he remained looking expectantly at Rosemary , Bea, and Jan in particular who seemed to be staring at them as if they were the daily juicy soap opera fix.

Comfort cleared her throat. "Can you guys give us a minute please? She then looked at the guards; the one who liked to stare was grinning and practically rubbing his hands together.

"You too!" Comfort yelled at him. His smile died instantly and he huffed angrily as he turned around. Immediately, Koval took Comfort in his arms and so the embers between them ignited when their lips met. The world around them no longer existed and nothing else mattered except the feel and touch of this magnificent human female. He could tell that she too enjoyed it as well, and her kissing seemed to become more intricate and bold each time they encountered. He didn't want to leave but several minutes had already passed and he really needed to get back to work.  
Koval as always needed a few seconds to compose himself afterwards, but then dug his hand into his pocket and brought out a small black and blue device.

He cleared his throat and Comfort's eyes twinkled at the pink lip gloss that now glimmered on his lips.

"This is so that we can communicate directly; you no longer have to call my office. My device coordinates are already programed."

"You've given me so much already Koval, but I'll accept it so that I can call you whenever I miss you."

He lifted a brow. "That is the general idea."

She chuckled, "Alright, I'll call you later then." She stood there and watched as he and the guards rode off, realizing that she already missed him.

* * *

"Girl, you've got that Romulan whipped!" Rosemary laughed once they were inside.

"Mmm hmmm. I think you're going to beat my record of 4 months Comfort. At the rate you're going, you'll be married before the month is out." Bea replied.

Comfort laughed. "I don't know about that, but.. I do like him a lot, and I could very well fall in love with him."

"I think it's safe to say he's already in love with you." Jan replied.

"No kidding! It's not every day a man buys you a house." Rosemary said.

"It's not like it belongs to me, it's just a temporarily place to stay." Comfort reiterated.

"Yeah, until you marry him." Bea laughed and proceeded to pucker up her lips and make a mock kissy face. "Oh Koval! Kiss me with those fishy lips!" She mocked as she batted her lashes.

"How many babies you fixin' on having Comfort? five? Six?" Jan asked with a coy grin on her face.

"I aint ready to have no babies yet. I have ta finish school first and then get established, and then maybe we can talk about kids." She replied.

Rosemary nodded. "That sounds fair, we're just excited for you is all."

"Speaking of excited, let's start planning for tomorrow! I need to know what it is y'all do on a Romulan lake outing!" Comfort said as she helped with the last of the bags and brought them inside the house.

Later that evening, Comfort called Koval on the new comm he had gotten for her. She had laughed when she saw that he had about 5 different numbers that he could be reached at, but she tried her luck on the one that said "personal" which she obviously guessed right since he picked up after the first beep.

"I see you have figured it out." Was the first thing he said. "Yeah, it's an interestin' little device. So uh, how you doin? You at your house?"

"I am unfortunately still working." He replied.

"Well, you wanna come over and have supper once you're done? You're comin' to the lake tomorrow right?" He smirked at her eagerness to be with him, she was so open about how she felt with regards to him, it was refreshing for he always knew where he stood with her.  
"I unfortunately cannot come over tonight, but I will be at the lake tomorrow."

"Come here first thing, I'm makin' breakfast."  
He was smiling from ear to ear at this point; very soon he would have the girl right where he wanted her.  
"I will be there." He replied.

* * *

Koval arrived bright and early as he had promised Comfort, she was busy making a huge spread including several quiches, crepes filled with nutella, and bowls of native Romulan fruit.  
Letant slapped Koval on the back as they watched the women set the table up.

"My cook is happy as a clam ever since the human women arrived; he hardly does anything now in days because they want to do the cooking themselves."

"This is a very interesting trait in humans." Koval replied.

"Our plan is working, she has been talking about you all morning Koval, I believe we shall hear wedding bells soon."

Koval smiled in turn. "That is an agreeable turn of events."

A few minutes later they were all seated at the table eating breakfast, except for the kids who were too excited and kept talking amongst themselves. The young fat Ferengi was coming along as well and currently they were arguing over who was going to use the water rocket first.

"It's my water rocket, I bought it with the saved up credits daddy gives me every week." Bianca shot angrily.

"But courtesy demands you let our friend here use it first since he is our guest." One of the boys replied.

"I'm not stupid Bretant, you say that now and when we get to the Lake, you guys will hog it all up and I'll never have a shot at my own water rocket."

"You're being selfish!" Lentak replied.

"I don't see why fatty has to come with us anyway! " Bianca shot back, the Ferengi eyed her angrily, and flashed his tooth menacingly at her.

"Hey, hey, hey, what have I said about discussions at the table kids?" Bea said to them.

Letant laughed at the look on their faces, particularly Bianca's for when she was angry, her bottom lip would stick out just like her mothers.

"I have a solution to your problem; I will be administering who uses the water rocket so that each of you has a fair chance at using it; case closed."

Bianca huffed angrily and looked up at her father. "I want to be excused from the table please."

He thought about it for a moment and looked over at Bea, who was now busy talking to Bretant, and Lentak about how they should treat their sister better.

"You may, but only to get your things ready for the trip, no playing video games, understood?" She mumbled a thank you and angrily left the table. Comfort and Koval watched with much amusement at what had transpired and chuckled at the little girl's reaction. Letant huffed in turn. "kids!"

After breakfast, everyone got their things ready and they were off to the Lake. It being the weekend, it was very crowded, but being in the Romulan Senate definitely had its perks and they were able to bypass all the traffic and lines to directly head to the special VIP section of the lake that was gated and closed off to everyone else except the distinguished diplomats and other high ranking officials. There were several open aired kiosks complete with comfortable out door sofas, chairs, and a large family table. A stack of towels, and several water sports equipment.

"Ours is Kiosk #3" Letant announced, and as soon as they arrived, several Romulan guards took their posts as buckets of ice began to be served along with bottles of water, wine, Kali fal, and, and an orange beverage Comfort had never seen before.

"Wow, this is classy." Comfort said in awe.

"Nothing but the best for us." Letant replied with a smile.

The boys immediately hit the lake while Bianca stayed sitting in a corner with her arms folded.  
"Honey, let's go out to the water, don't be like that." Jan said to her, but she shook her head no, and put her head down.

"It's alright, she'll snap out of it when she sees how much fun everyone is having." Letant replied.

Comfort looked over at Koval who made no moves to go in the water. It was such a beautiful lake, a clear turquoise color that rippled with light at the slightest movement, it looked extremely inviting.

"Well?" She asked expectantly. "Aren't you goin' in the water?"

"I have no wish to at this time." He replied as he poured some of the orange drink and handed it to her.

She took a sip and instantly grimaced. "Wow, that is tart!" She set her drink down and began taking off her shirt and shorts so that she was only wearing her bathing suit. She looked over, already knowing that his hungry eyes were roaming her body up and down like a man who has not had anything to drink in three days and she was the glass of refreshing water he needed.

"See ya later Koval, I'm gettin' in the water." She said with a wink.

She had not been in the water for even a full minute when she felt something suddenly tug at her legs, she let out a yelp as she felt herself being pulled under the water only to come back up to the surface and find Koval standing there with a wide grin on his face.

"You!" She said as she splashed water on him and tried to get him as equally wet as she was now, but he lifted her bridal style with his superior strength and threw her playfully back in the water.

Letant and Bea chucked as they watched them. "They are both goners."

An entourage of guards arrived then, all circling the outside of their kiosk when suddenly Vreenak stepped out of his vehicle already shirtless which exposed his extremely skinny form. The sunglasses he wore made his head look twice its actual size. He looked over at Jan and flashed her a regal smile as she blushed.

"Please try to control yourself Jan; It's not every day a female has the honor to see me in such a state." He said arrogantly.  
Rosemary bit her bottom lip so hard from trying to control her laughter that she ended up almost drawing out blood. She covered her mouth and ran away to where she could laugh at Vreenak's reptilian form at a safe distance.

"See what I mean." He said as he pointed to her. "She can't resist me either."

Not long after, Kutunah showed up as well and it seemed that everyone was paired off with someone else while little Bianca still sat in the corner watching the boys play with her water rocket. She got up from the corner and snuck out from behind where the guards couldn't see her and began browsing the other kiosks. For a moment she thought that maybe they were the only ones there in the private section of the lake but then a flash of red caught her eye.  
There were Romulan guards but they were dressed differently. She hid behind one of the trees and took a closer look inside the kiosk. There was a Romulan man and a human female kissing inside, beside them was a boy about her age and he looked beyond bored. She gasped in shock for she thought that she was the only one who had a human mother and it was somewhat of a shock to her.  
The kid looked up at the sound of her gasp and she moved back a bit lest she get caught spying.

He must have seen her moving around because he left the kiosk to investigate. Bianca decided to go back to her own for the last thing she needed was to get into trouble on top of everything else that already happened that morning.

"Hey, you!" Someone called out to her. She turned around but nobody was there so she kept walking forward and almost bumped right into the kid that had been in the kiosk she was sneaking a peek at.  
He stayed staring at her curiously. "You're not a Romulan!" He stated more to himself than to her.

"Yeah I am." She said as she pulled back her dark long hair and showed him her ears.

"Oh.." He said even though he still looked confused. "But you look different. Your forehead doesn't have a ridge."

"I'm half human." she replied, and was already bracing herself for the slurry of insults she would no doubt receive.

"Really?" He replied. "I am too!"

She blinked. "Who are you?"

"I'm Tristan, and I'm a Prince!" He said proudly. "What's your name?" He asked.  
She began to giggle as she looked at him. "Nunya."

"Nunya?" He asked.

"Yeah, Nunya business!" She replied laughing before she took off running.

She ran as fast as she could and dove head first into the water, and swam a bit before she popped back up and looked towards the kiosk to see if he was still standing there when she heard him right beside her. "So are you going to tell me your real name?"

Letant had been watching as Bianca ran past their kiosk and dove into the water, he also didn't miss seeing the young boy who was right behind her.

"Do you see this Bea? Our daughter is not even seven years old and already she has boys chasing after her. I'm bringing her back inside."

"Honey, she's just a kid, let her have fun."

Letant crossed his arms and pouted. "I don't like it Bea; I don't like it."

Soon, the smell of food began to rise in the air, grilled meats, and seafood, along with both human and romulan dishes set up buffet style. Everyone came inside the kiosk to eat their food, even little Tristan joined in and sat next to Bianca as they ate, neither one noticing that the young fat Ferengi was eyeing Tristan in particular with disdain as he talked about his school and his friends back on another planet to an eager Bianca.

"Why hasn't the boy left?" Letant whispered to Bea.

"You're being ridiculous." Bea replied.

"She's my daughter!"

"Our daughter." Bea corrected. "Who's brothers took away _her_toy, and as a result, she was bored out of her mind until that boy came along. Your anger is unfounded."

Letant huffed angrily and continued to eat while Rosemary laughed at a story Vreenak was telling about having visited the museum of natural history while on earth and not understanding why the young human children wanted to take pictures beside him.

"Were you in the dinosaur exhibition?" She asked between laughs.

Vreenak raised a brow. "Yes, beside the velociraptors, were you there as well?"

Rosemary laughed so hard at his answer that she literally cried and fell on the floor heaving. Kutunah looked up at her, "Did she drink Kali fal?"

Jan grew angry at her. "You are so mean Rosemary! I don't make fun of your man!"

Meanwhile Koval and Comfort were sitting in the corner of the Kiosk by themselves at this point, she was lying down on the same chair that he was in with her leg draped over his and she was currently whispering something to him that had his undivided attention. It seemed that during the entire trip, they were constantly in close proximity of each other, and she was enjoying it tremendously. It was then she realized that she could very well fall in love with him.


	10. Chapter 10

**And... More Drama**

* * *

The following day Koval went into work.  
Even though his mind should have been completely focused at the task at hand, he found that his mind would wander to thoughts of the outing with the girl every now and again, particular the memory of seeing her in a bathing suit. His traitorous mind would sometimes delve further, imagining what would've happened had they been alone, especially when she had been lying practically on top of him in the chair. It was proving difficult to maintain nobility around the girl; his inner passions were bursting through.

He had not been at work for an hour before he called her up via computer so that he would be able to see her. She looked upset but smiled as soon as he came on screen.

"Mornin' Koval, I take it you're at work."

He nodded. "You don't seem yourself this morning." He replied.

"I uhh... I talked to my parents last night when I got home and I have to go back to Earth."

With those words, Koval's world shattered in an instant although the only give away was that his eyes flickered and his brows furrowed in thought.

"You are leaving me then." It was more a statement than a question. his hands had already formed to fists and his teeth were grinding against each other at the thought of her being gone. Already his eyes scoured his desk to find an object he could shatter.

"For a week, yes, and then I'll come back. I decided I wanna study here Koval." Her skin began to blush that magnificent pink color he had grown so fond of. "and be here with you."

He sighed loudly in relief and closed his eyes momentarily to settle the adrenaline that had been coursing through his body in preparation for devastating news.

"You don't have to return to Earth, I can take care of everything from here. I'll have you transferred to the school of your choice and I'll arrange for your parents to be brought over from Earth."

"Therein lies the problem, they don't wanna leave Earth. As a matter of fact, I told em bout you and they weren't happy, not happy at all. They were fixin I find a Louisiana boy." She said with deep sadness.

The news was not a surprise to him. Romulans and humans had a long history of not trusting one another, he could see how her parents might have thought her actions to be reckless given the past news concerning them in particular. It was obvious that if he wanted to ease her mind and try to rectify the situation he'd have to take action.

"We will both go to Earth then, and we will speak to your parents on the matter."

"Really? You'd do that?"

He nodded. "To ensure our future."

* * *

They left for Earth that evening, and although it was pleasant to be alone with the girl on the ship, the air around her was tense and she always seemed to be deep in thought.

"You have not eaten since we boarded." He said to her.  
She shrugged in turn. "Too nervous to eat."

"But you must, otherwise you'll arrive weak and unable to speak properly to your parents." He urged. He got up and walked over to the replicator and in a few seconds came back with two plates. Her eyes grew wide and she laughed out loud. "You replicated fried chicken! And mashed taters! How'd you know?"  
He smirked in turn. "I have my ways."

She watched in awe as he took his first tentative bite, the crunch from the breading when he took the bite was loud and all the motivation she needed to start eating as well.  
He looked at the chicken and hummed in thought.

"This is rather good."  
"Anything deep fried is good." She replied, she was already looking a lot better.

After dinner, they went over what they would say to her parents. They had it all calculated and completely worked out, and hopefully it would convince them to see reason and maybe even give moving to Romulus a shot although Comfort already knew that that would be an extreme long shot. Her parents were of the mindset that they were born in Louisiana and they'd die in Louisiana, no flying out in space for them.

Exhausted by the events, Comfort fell asleep in Koval's arms as they lay in the recreation room of the ship. He gently caressed her curly red hair as he watched her sleeping form with intense satisfaction, relishing in his success that he had managed to convince the girl to stay on Romulus. He didn't really care one way or the other if her parents lived on Romulus as well, he only wanted the girl, but she was obviously so deeply affected by their reaction, he had had no choice but to go to Earth both for her peace of mind, and also because he would go insane if she were parted from him for more than a week. He had reached a point with the girl where he did not think he could survive if she ever left him. They were currently lying down on an oversized sofa. He could have picked her up and taken her to her guest quarters, but decided he liked having her lying next to him and soon after he fell asleep as well with his arms embracing her to him.

The sound of rustling fabric and low voices caused him to wake up, there were two guards standing in front of them. "Chairman, we have arrived at Earth's docking station."  
He looked down and realized that Comfort was practically clinging to him as she slept. He carefully shook her awake.

"Don't wanna go to school mama.."

"Comfort, we have arrived on Earth." He whispered.

She opened her big teal eyes and seemed to fall into realization of where she was and what she had to face for she clung to him harder. He looked towards the guards and motioned for them to be left alone.  
"I want you to know Koval that.. No matter what happens, no matter what my folks say, I'm gonna go back to Romulus with you so you don't have to worry bout me being convinced ta stay."

Koval formed a grin so wide that he resembled the cat that got the cream. "You have no idea how pleased I am to hear you say that. Together we will live a wondrous life on Romulus, and make our own family."

She smiled. "Yeah, but no kids until after I graduate mister." She said as she playfully poked him.

"Of course." He replied, but he could always try to persuade her to change her mind after they were married, although he didn't really mind waiting, it would give them the opportunity to do whatever they pleased whenever they wanted. The thought was extremely agreeable to him.  
He patted her gently.  
"Come, it is time to speak to your parents."

Thankfully, there were no problems when they got off the ship, and the ride to her house was silent until they got out of the car and Comfort's father came out of the house with a shot gun aimed directly at Koval. Immediately, two guards covered him, while another fired at the shot gun her father was holding and as a result, he dropped it on the floor immediately from having burned his hands.

"My baby!" Her mother cried as she ran to Comfort.

"Momma!" She cried as they embraced. but once the happy reunion was over, she picked up a newspaper and showed it to her demanding to know if it was true. There on the cover was a picture of her and Koval kissing.

"Yes, momma, it's true, but ya'll have to let me explain." She tried.

"Did he hurt you? Is he forcing you to this?" She pointed to the newspaper.

"No momma, it was my decision!"

Her mom in turn looked at her with a completely stunned expression.

"What in tarnation is goin' on here?" Her father exclaimed as he came down weaponless.

Koval then appeared looking as well poised an un-intimidated as he could muster. "I am Koval. Comfort and I have come to speak to you all about our plans."

"Your plans?!" Her father exclaimed. "Aint this the guy who was fixin' to kill you Comfort? And now you're givin him your goods?!" He slammed his finger at the paper. "Comfort, I aint raised no tramp! I wont stand for this! I raised a good Southern girl who will marry a good Southern boy and give me Southern gran babies, not no alien!"

"If you would please calm yourselves down, everything can be explained in a rational manner." Koval said firmly.

"Please ma, pa; please just listen to what we have to say." Comfort begged.

The mom and the dad eyed each other wearily before acknowledging to hear their plans. Once Comfort and Koval had finished explaining everything that had happened between them, and what their plans for the future were, Comfort's father shot into the house and slammed the door shut. While the mom began to cry.

"Why would you do this to us Comfort? Why would you tear up our family this way."

"Momma, don't you want me to make something of myself? I have a chance to do this on Romulus, and I found a good man in the process! I reckon I've been extremely fortunate."

Her mom shook her head. "He fillin' your head with lies Comfort! He'll just throw you aside once he tires of you...that.. that.. alien monster that hates us humans!"

"You are mistaken, I love your human daughter, otherwise I would not have asked her to be my wife. We will marry and form a family; I will care for her and our children."  
Comfort looked up at him with wide eyes, did he really just say that?

"I can't.. I can't deal with this Comfort." Her mom said and also ran back into the house.

Comfort was stunned, yeah she knew he cared about her, but he loved her? When did that happen? Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when the guards insisted they get back in the car for their own protection.

"I am sorry that things did not go as planned." Koval began, expecting the girl to be emotional over what had happened but was surprised to find her looking at him in complete shock.

"Koval did you mean it?" She asked.

"Of course. I have had others Comfort but you are the only woman I have ever allowed myself to love, the only woman I will ever love, and the only woman I will form a family with, and there is nothing else to it." He replied as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

This time the girl did get emotional. He could see how her face contorted as she began to cry. He was unsure what to make of it, he did not know if she was upset with his declaration or overwhelmed with joy, but suddenly; she wrapped her arms around him and began kissing him fervently, almost knocking him over in his seat. The guards even jumped up at her sudden reaction but then turned away at the display of affection, except for that one guard who didn't even hide the fact that he would blatantly stare.

She didn't say she returned his sentiment, but the physical display of affection was enough for him... at least for now.

* * *

Koval's secretary came in to work that morning when she saw two Romulan guards standing in front of her desk. Immediately she knew what was going on, and stopped before she got too close.

"Why?" She asked them.

"You withheld information from the Chairman when he was awaiting a personal call. We also discovered that you have been leaking information about personal matters to the press. You are instructed to follow us."

She was taken into a room with hardly any light, the guards then placed a metal device on her forehead. She yelled and fought against the pain that ravaged her body.

"Just tell us what you did, and you can leave." The guards insisted, and then the pain increased. She was about to spill everything and then the door slammed open.

"You will let her go this instant." Came a strong, female voice.

"We have orders from the chairman, and we must follow through with our instructions." The guards replied.

"And I have orders from Praetor Neral that this woman is to be released and questioned by me personally, so what's it going to be?" The guards shuffled a bit but then the secretary felt them remove the device from her forehead and then they left. She fell over the table that was in front of her. She closed her eyes until she began to feel some relief and then a voice startled her.

"I'm sorry I didn't arrive sooner." Said the strong female voice.

The secretary looked up, trying to find the source of who had just saved her from further agony when she saw that sitting across from her was Senator Cretak.


	11. Chapter 11

**A short chappy.**

**This chapter was inspired by the book: "A year in provence" written by Peter Mayle, it is in a word: "Excellent" and you should make every effort to read it. Thanks to ByaSouthernLady for having recommended it to me; love ya girl! :-)**

**Also, there will be a guest character in this story *looks at Jamille Shane and smirks***

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Comfort and Koval did not leave for Romulus right away. He had stated to Comfort that there was actually a place on Earth that he had been curious about visiting with her and asked if they could stay a few days.

"Well… When does school start on Romulus? I was supposed to start up classes again five days from now here on Earth." She said with some concern.

He admired her sense of responsibility, and he was always amazed at her maturity level despite being young, she was admirable in many respects and it solidified all the more his desire to make her his wife.

"Take Comfort my Comfort; I assure you that will be taken care of." He replied with a grin, she laughed out loud in turn.

"Why Koval! I do declare that you're buildin' a sense of humor!" She exclaimed with bright eyes. It was good to see her in this way given the episode they had just had with her parents. Koval could effectively say that he never thought that he'd ever have an Earth shot gun pointed at him in the middle of the Louisiana Bayou while being blamed for haven taken a young human girl's 'goods'. If only the father had known that despite his past, he would not dishonor the girl in that way, he would wait until she was ready despite the delicious little temptation she was.

They took a private shuttle that flew over vast oceans. Comfort was excitedly looking out the window. "Where are we goin' Koval?

"I will give you a hint." He was with a closed-lip smile. "You made notes of the book with the title of the city in your chemistry journal."

Comfort seemed to think about it for a moment before her eyes went wide. "Are we.. no… way…. "

He nodded. "We are going to a little place called Provence, France; I do hope that is not an inconvenience."

"I … I can't believe it! Koval, really? Please don't joke with me about this; it's always been a dream of mine to go to Provence. I've read 'A year in Provence' dozens of times, always dreaming of maybe being fortunate enough to go there for myself one day."

"It would seem that your wish has come true then." He replied.

She opened her mouth to reply but closed it immediately. Her eyes became watery and she breathed in loudly as if trying to control her emotions. Koval wrapped his arms around her and kissed her soundly, she didn't need to voice how she felt, he already knew.

They arrived at a European style cottage with a vast acreage of land. There were rows of lavender, other herbs, and what seemed to be grape vines planted in the back yard. There was smoke coming out of the chimney and what smelled like roasted meat and freshly baked bread. Comfort felt her stomach rumbling, and patted it lightly. They went inside the cottage with two Romulan guards while the remainder stayed outside.  
Immediately they were greeted by a warm and friendly woman wearing a bright red apron.

"You must be Chairman Koval!" She said as she stuck her hand out to him. He looked at the hand and then at Comfort, watching her nod before he himself brought out his own hand for the lady to shake vigorously.

"Such a pleasure!" She exclaimed as she now came over to Comfort and gave her two kisses, one on each cheek as was the Providence way. "Oh! magnifique cheveux!" She exclaimed as she caressed Comfort's red hair. "ees it natural?"

"Uh.. yes, it is." She replied awkwardly as her hair was being flipped around.

"But where are my manners! My name is J'Mille, I welcome you most warmly to our humble abode."

Our? Comfort thought to herself, and immediately wondered who else lived there but had her mental question answered when a rather plump blonde man dressed in Romulan clothing emerged with a boisterous laugh and wide arms as if he were about to embrace the Chairman.

"Koval you sly old dog! You really went and did it didn't you! And I can't say that I blame you, she is a beaut!" DeSeve said as he eyed Comfort up and down. He then gave the Chairman a playful shove and whispered in his ear: "Bet she will keep you busy on those long, and cold Romulan nights!"

Koval's cheeks became slightly green as he fidgeted slightly, it took him a moment to compose himself and continue. "Comfort, this is Stefan DeSeve. He lived on Romulus for many years and then suddenly decided to come back to Earth."

"And now I live here in Provence with my beautiful wife J'Mille in the most wondrous place on Earth!" DeSeve exclaimed happily.

"We shall show you to your rooms shortly but first, we must eat!" J'Mille exclaimed as she led them to the dining room.

"Now we're talking!" DeSeve said as he clapped his hands together and licked his lips.

Immediately they were seated and the dishes began to be brought out. Roast lamb with rosemary, and garlic surrounded by roasted potatoes, beef burgundy that smelled so incredibly good that it made Comfort's stomach growl again. There was also some kind of small game birds surrounded by red cabbage, there were also sides of roast carrots, shallots, and zucchini, a large tray of freshly baked yeast rolls, not to be outdone by the numerous bottles of wine, and non-alcoholic cider which DeSeve ensured would be the absolute best that would ever go past their lips as the grapes were grown from their own back yard.

The beef burgundy had been so incredibly moist and delicious that Comfort had helped herself to three servings. The little birds turned out to be pheasant which were exquisitely shot by DeSeve earlier that morning, or so he said.

"We would have treated you to frog legs, but unfortunately now is not the season for it." DeSeve said.

"That's ok, we eat frog legs in Louisiana too, but I'm not particularly fond of them." Comfort replied.

"Frog? Is that the amphibian you threw on me that time in the chemistry class?" Koval asked.

"Yup, that's a frog."

Koval made a horrified face. "You mean.. Humans actually consume those things for nourishment?!"

"I wouldn't knock it Koval, they are delicious creatures. You take their little legs, add some seasoning, bread them, and deep fry them.. OHHHH Delicious when dipped in garlic cream sauce!"

Koval did not seem convinced, and Comfort couldn't help but laugh at his reaction.  
After dinner, J'Mille brought out two large pear tarts. "I marinated the pears in wine overnight so that's why it's taken that burgundy color you see." It had been one of the best desserts Comfort had ever had in her life. She sat back sleepily as she took in the surroundings of the roaring fireplace and the comfortable earth tones and Renaissance paintings. Koval looked at her direction and patted her gently on the shoulder. "Do you need Mrs. DeSeve to show you to your room?"

"Yes, yes!" J'Mille exclaimed as she rose out of her chair. "I will show her to her room, of course! You all must be so tired after that long journey from Romulus!"

Comfort kissed Koval goodnight and went upstairs with J'Mille while Koval and DeSeve remained downstairs talking.

"So… you're really going to go through with it? It isn't a prank or some kind of political scheme like the press has made it seem." DeSeve asked.

"This is legitimate Stefan, I plan to make the girl my wife." Koval confirmed.

"I must say that the news came as quite a shock to me Koval. We all know how you felt towards humans. I think the only reason why you tolerated me was because I shared in your ideals, and then I met my lovely J'Mille and life just seemed to guide me into another direction."

"A similar incident occurred with me Stefan. I came to Earth with absolutely the lowest expectations, but I was desperate, for you well know that up until recently; Tuvan syndrome was incurable, and I had been cursed with it."

DeSeve shook his head. "No one would ever think by looking at that girl that she would be capable of being the one to have discovered the cure."

"But she has, and she is an incredible being, unlike anyone I have ever met."

Stefan laughed heartily and filled Koval's wine cup to the very top. "So whatever happened to that Kimara Cretak? I mean, obviously you're not together anymore."

Koval's face suddenly became serious, and Stefan raised his hands up. "Sorry, sorry, didn't mean to upset you."

"I am not upset, I was simply remembering, for things as you know ended badly between us."

"She was crazy about you Koval; thought Romulus revolved around you." Stefan said with a raised brow as he drank more wine.

"I know, but I could never return her sentiment. We disagreed on so many points, and she was a harsh, and sometimes very cruel woman, especially to me but I now realize that she did it as a way to make me pay for not being able to demonstrate back what she felt for me."

"As most Romulan women are." Stefan smirked. "I can see why things are different with the girl, she tempers you Koval, and you are not the same harsh man when she is around, she allows you to love and appreciate things for what they are, and I can see how you're probably at a point in your life where you need that. Human women also have the ability to be honorable and trust-worthy beings, and the one you've chosen in particular is exceedingly attractive; you will have very handsome children."

The thought of children made Koval smile.

Stefan lifted his glass towards Koval. "Just don't forget to invite me and the Mrs. To the wedding."


	12. Chapter 12

The following morning, Koval and Comfort had gotten up before Mr. and Mrs. DeSeve and with two of the guards; they headed down towards the town. The shop keepers were starting to set up their tents where barrels and crates of different fruits, vegetables, cheeses, infused oils, and assorted exotic foods like snails were being set up.

They ended up buying some grapes, a couple different slices of cheeses, a bottle of wine, and then walked into a bakery to get a couple of assorted goods before they ended up making a small picnic right in the middle of the lavender fields. Things couldn't be more perfect in those moments. Koval handed her a glass of wine and she eyed it wearily.

"I aint never had no wine before Koval."

"Come, come, I believe I would be more than appropriate supervision." She smirked and took a tentative sip before she actually drank. "That is so smooth."

"Yes, but be careful, too much of that will have adverse reactions to your anatomy." And he turned out to be right for she had not even had a full glass and already her cheeks were violently red and she was giggling for no reason. Koval looked at her with extreme amusement as she eyed him in a wanting manner.

"Did I ever tell you that the first thing that came to my mind when I saw you was how handsome I thought you was."

She was slurring and speaking grammatically incorrect, he took the cup away from her hands, and laughed when she protested.  
"No more of that, we want to get you back in one piece."  
She was now caressing his left ear and biting down on her lower lip. He inhaled sharply and grabbed her wrist.

"Comfort, remember what I said about going too far."  
Her response to that however, was boldly sitting on his lap and kissing him.

It was the most glorious feeling in the universe for Koval. Time and time again Koval was floored by how amazing kissing her was and it always got better. His blood roared in his ears as he immediately flipped her beneath him as they continued to kiss in the lavender fields, his lips and teeth now descending to her neck, his hands already tugging on the zipper of her dress, and it didn't help matters that she was actually urging him on with her groans, and then she bit down on his ear and he almost lost all sanity, the only thing that stopped him from moving things further along was when he heard her whisper: "I love you Koval"

He stopped immediately and moved off of her. Her glassy eyes grew wide as she looked at him with concern. "Are you alright?"

"Yes." He replied. "We can't.. not like this, you're intoxicated by the wine, it shouldn't be like this."

She sighed and closed her eyes, trying to gain control of her feelings for this was the first time she had been so overcome with desire for somebody else.

"I meant what I said." She whispered, and then opened her eyes and turned to him so that they were just inches away from one another. "I love you."

Koval took her in his arms and kissed her again, this time it was a pouring of all emotion, as if transferring it to each other. In a perfect world, they would never have to leave the lavender fields; they could just stay there and hold each other with the scenic beauty around them forever.

* * *

When Koval and Comfort finally returned to Romulus, Koval was going to drop her off at Letant's estate, but it was notably quiet when they arrived.

"Bea? Rosemary? Jan?" Comfort called out. One of the Romulan house keepers came to meet her.

"Rosemary and Jan are out on dates. Senator Letant, his wife and children have gone on holiday to the Apnex Sea on a privately chartered cruise ship, they will not be back for another week.

"Really? I wish they would have told me or left me a message." Comfort said with some irritability.

"It was a rather last minute decision mam" The housekeeper said.

"May I suggest that you stay at my estate since you do not know when they will return." Koval said with what Comfort had come to know was lust in his eyes.

She knew that he wanted her; the episode in Provence had proved that she too wanted him, but something wasn't right. There was a small voice inside of her that just wasn't OK with everything that was happening, and she knew that it was in part due to the fact that there still was a great deal that she didn't know about him. He was pushing things along so quickly and it was a bit overwhelming, almost like he was hiding something and he wanted them married before she found out, but at the same time she welcomed him, she had strong feelings for him, feelings she had never felt with anyone else before. She was so incredibly conflicted that she didn't really know what to say.

"I would Koval, but I am rather tired."

If he was annoyed by her answer, he hid it well, especially with the parting kiss he gave her that left her completely breathless and questioning her decision and instead go running after him, but before she could change her mind, he was already out the door, and the last of his guards had just exited.  
The housekeeper was still standing there looking away but Comfort could see her cheeks were greenish.

It wasn't long before school started again and Comfort was thrown back into the routine of a hectic schedule. At first it had been odd to be amongst so many Romulans who were different in many respects but once she focused on her work full force, for the most part they came around.  
Bea and Letant had returned from their cruise and had thrown a huge party for Jan who unfortunately had to return to Louisiana, curious enough; Senator Vreenak seemed to have a very hard time dealing with this fact, he kept repeating almost every five minutes:  
"I want you to call me as soon as you get back." But then asking questions like: "Are you sure you need to return to Earth? Earth doesn't have my smiling face." He would reply, which never failed to cause Rosemary to laugh.

Rosemary on the other hand had moved into a small apartment right in the heart of the city of Rateg, and consequently, right beside the building where Katunah worked.  
Comfort had moved into the small house Koval had gotten for her, she'd spend her days in class, the afternoon studying, and almost every single evening with Koval where sometimes he wouldn't leave until very late because they would stay up playing Romulan board games, watching classic Earth films, or just talking.

It was on one night that they discussed very deep issues concerning ethics and moral subjects, and Koval could tell instantly that Comfort was absolutely a no-nonsense person when it came to said subjects.

"I believe that problems can absolutely be resolved without violence, and people who resort to that sort of thing should be ashamed of themselves."

Koval had not answered right away, as he thought of a way to word his arguments. "Sometimes it is the only way to get results."

"I disagree; issues can always be resolved in a rational manner where rational people are involved."

"And there you come to the point Comfort, not everyone is rational, sometimes people need to have their arm twisted a bit in order to realize the error in their ways."

"I would hate to think that you of all people would resort to violent intentions if things don't go your way."  
He didn't answer.

"Oh my gosh! Koval! " She cried out in shock, and repugnance.

"It is the Romulan way Comfort, I am not a human, and I didn't get to the position as head of the Tal-Shiar by talking, action needs to be taken!"

"So if you and I have a disagreement, does that mean you're gonna be violent towards me too?"

"Of course not!" He replied too loudly.

"But you do it to others, so what's gonna make me think you wont do it to me?"

"I would hate to believe that you think so lowly of me."

Comfort sighed. "That's the problem Koval, I don't know much 'bout you apart from what you've shown me these past few weeks. I don't know a thing about your past, who your ma and pa are, if you got any brothers, or sisters, and I find that unsettlin'!"

"You don't need to know anything about my past." He said in a way that insinuated that they needed to drop the subject."

"But I bet you know everything 'bout me." She said.

"Pretty much." He replied.

"Well aint that just peachy!" She replied as she got up. "I'm tired Koval, I think I wanna head off to bed."

"You're angry with me." It was more a statement than a question.

She sighed and turned back around to face him. "I'm not angry Koval, I'm just not sure.. I don't know what to think sometimes about you, I feel like you deliberately hide things from me about you, and I don't like it because it means that whatever you're hidin' isn't good."

"For your own safety Comfort, there are simply some things that are better left unknown to you."

She sighed in response. "I don't know that I like that Koval." She replied.

He sighed in turn and got up, getting ready to leave for the night. "I think you need to get some rest, and I'll call you first thing when you get back from your classes."  
He kissed her but he could tell that she had not kissed him back, there was that look in her eyes, the look of doubt, and questions all tumbling in her mind like a vicious cycle, he knew that it wouldn't go away. Comfort was no fool, and she was a woman who trusted her instinct when she felt something wasn't right.  
Perhaps he would have to tell her about certain things he wasn't proud of, certain things that even though she didn't understand them, at least she would know that he had been honest and open with her. He really would change for her, he'd do anything to keep her with him, she was worth it.

* * *

The following day Comfort when to school, but it was harder than usual to focus. Her mind kept drifting back to the conversation she and Koval had had, and she didn't like the feeling that would settle on her chest every time she thought about the fact that she didn't really know him like she wanted to, but even worse was the fact that she wanted him so badly.

She was just on her way out of the building when a petite Romulan woman approached her; she seemed rather nice in her appearance.  
"Are you Comfort Smith?"

She smiled back in turn. "Yes, yes I am, can I help you?"

The Romulan woman smiled back in turn. "Oh, I think that I'm the one who can help you my dear, but let's step off to the side here so we can talk."

They went back inside and ended up wandering into a private room in the library.

"My name is Kimara Cretak." The Romulan woman began. "And forgive me for prying but is it true that you and Chairman Koval are romantically involved with each other?"

Comfort nodded. "Yes, we are fixin' to get married sometime in the future."

"Really?" She cocked her head to the side. "Funny, he hasn't given you a ring yet?" She said as she motioned to her bare hands.

To have that sort of face to face confirmation was a blow to Kimara, even after having been broken up with the man for over a year, maybe she should have just let it go like countless people had told her too, but she just couldn't, she couldn't let it go.  
She was currently trying to word how she was going to tell the human girl, everything that she had previously rehearsed in her mind had gone blank, but fortunately the human girl was astute, and she watched as her teal eyes narrowed, and it all clicked into place.

"Are you? Were you a girlfriend of his?" Comfort asked.

She raised a brow. "Technically we never broke up, and then I go and run into hundreds of media pictures of you two together, it's what he does. He finds a woman, tells her that he loves her, and once he tires of her, he runs off with someone else. He's been doing it for so long that he's become a skilled expert at it. I bet he told you that he loved you didn't he?"  
The truth was that Koval never told Kimara that he loved her, or any other woman for that matter, she had told him countless times to him but he never reciprocated.

"Yes, he's told me that he loves me." Comfort replied. She was now crying and quickly becoming extremely upset.

Kimara scowled; another blow. It would seem that he was actually serious about the human, which would make her revenge all the more sweet.

"And I hate to continue to be the bearer of more bad news, but.. I feel that you are entitled to see this so that it wont happen to you too."  
Kimara just handed Comfort the finishing blow, for on her PADD were clippings of what Koval had done throughout the years. How he had been linked to assassinations in order to reach his current job title, to the most recent event which was having his secretary tortured and fired for not having notified him of his personal phone call, and Comfort suddenly felt sick to her stomach when she realized that that particular incident might have had something to do with her.

Comfort's head began to spin uncontrollably; she felt like she was going to be sick, or pass out, or both, and then; everything went dark.


	13. Chapter 13

**This chapter was kinda hard to write, lots of emotional stuff going on and it may sound cheesy but; I love my characters and I get upset when I see them hurting, so put on your headphones, tune into the song "What hurts the most" and read this chapter with me.**

**Wanna thank everyone who's been reading and/or reviewing, even you General Martok, I know you're just misunderstood and need to be shown some lovin' -)  
The idea for Bea and Letant running off on a romantic cruise in the last chapter was inspired by a review "Letant" left ;-)**

* * *

When Comfort came to, she was lying in the guest room she was staying at when she was residing with Bea and Letant.  
She opened her eyes and immediately remembered what had transpired; it had not been a dream after all. The pain of betrayal and having been taken for a food settled on her chest and made her want to cry, but she knew that crying would solve nothing, all she really wanted to do was talk to Koval, and see what he would have to say about everything.

Nobody was in the room so she got up out of her bed and began wandering out the room when she almost ran into Bea who was carrying a tray with soup and some other food items.

"Goodness! You woke up!" Bea said with relief on her face. "The doctor said you were fine but still, you had everyone worried! Oh! Now that you're awake, I have to call Koval, he told me to call you as soon as you woke."

The mention of his name brought up panic for Comfort and she immediately told her to stop.

"Why Comfort? Why wouldn't you want me to call him?" Bea asked with deep concern.

Comfort sighed and sat back down. "It's kind of a long story Bea, you might wanna sit down while I tell it." And she did, leaving Bea wide-eyed and shaking her head.

"You know… Now that I think about it Comfort, before Letant and I got together, he had been mixed up in some serious affairs, it's the way their society functions, mind you; I'm not excusing it because I too believe that problems and issues should be taken care of in a non-violent fashion but, this is why you go through a courting period with someone, now you're learning all these things about him that will help you decide if this is really someone you want to marry."

Tears began to stream down Comfort's face. "That's the trouble Bea, I can't marry someone like that, and.. that woman he was datin' …How am I to know that I can trust him now? I can't even imagine how much it would hurt me to find out that he was with someone else after we got married or worse yet, if he abandoned me! I don't think I could live with that kinda pain in my heart."

Bea gave her some water and a couple of tissues to blow her nose and wipe her tears; Comfort continued to talk a short while afterwards. "I had this feeling all along that I could trust him, and he himself told me that there were things better left unknown, now; I aint no expert in relationship, but I know that I can't get nowhere with someone who talkin' like that."

Bea nodded. "It's true, you can't, I wouldn't trust him either Comfort, and now that this happened, it wont be easy for you, but we'll help you see it through. I suggest you stay here from now on, don't rely on him anymore, Letant and I will take care of you, give you the things you need."

Comfort hugged her and cried against her. Bea tried to soothe her by saying positive things to her but deep inside, she knew things were going to get ugly.

* * *

When Koval had not heard a word from Bea that afternoon, he quickly made arrangements to be driven over to Letant's estate.

He marched up the steps and bypassed the servants in a hurry until his path was blocked by Bea standing with her arms crossed in front of her.

He didn't like the look she was currently giving him one bit.

"Is she? She's alright isn't she? Has she woken up?"

Bea nodded.

"Why wasn't I informed! I was asked to be informed!"

Bea sighed. "She didn't want to talk to you through the computer or the communicator, she wants to talk to you face to face."

This definitely was not good.

"Please, let me see her." He practically begged.

Bea moved aside and motioned towards the room she was in.

He rapidly walked inside and his heart broke at the sight of her lying there in her small bed. Her head swerved towards him and her eyes were completely blood-shot and puffy. He ran to her and landed on his knees towards her bed-side.

"Comfort I.." He said as he leaned in to kiss her, but she moved her face away.

"We need to talk." She immediately said as she sat up. She sighed and closed her eyes as if seeking inner strength, he looked so confused and perplexed, and worried, it only served to break her heart all the more.

"A woman came to see me today Koval, she told me some things that we need to discuss."

His eyes narrowed. "What woman?"

"It doesn't matter who she is, what matters is what she told me about you."

"And this thing that she told you has caused you to become ill I take it?" It was all suddenly falling into place although he had so many enemies, he currently couldn't place what woman she was referring to.

"She showed me some articles 'bout you, particularly what you had done to your secretary." Her voice was trembling and she was now having trouble keeping her emotions in check, she took a deep breath.

"I had her dismissed Comfort, she was leaking information out about my personal life!"

"So you tortured her!" She yelled as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I told you Comfort, we Romulans deal with issues differently from humans." He began.

"I'm a tell you somethin' right now Koval, I aint NEVER gonna be with someone who's idea of justice includes torture, it goes against every fiber of my being!"

"Comfort please, If I can just explain…."

"Yeah, and I want you to also explain why I have to hear from someone else that you pick and choose whatever woman strikes your fancy, and then drop them off like yesterday's trash!"  
She smiled at the look on his face, she had hurt him she knew, she wanted him to feel what she had been feeling all this time.

"Kimara Cretak spoke to you didn't she?" He whispered in shock.

"She did, told me everything you did to her."

"Comfort, I did not love her!" He began.

"Yeah, and now you're gonna tell me that you love me right?"

"I DO! Why else would I want to marry you? What do I have to do to prove it to you? Let's go get married right now!"

"I don't wanna marry you." She whispered. "Not anymore. I don't trust you Koval, and where there isn't any trust, there can't be a relationship. You know what hurts me the most Koval? I have to hear all these things about you from a stranger, a stranger came to me to tell me these things that broke my heart because I was starting to love you Koval, and I might have forgiven your past acts if you had just told me about it when I asked you, it shows to me that you don't have any remorse for the things you did."

Koval for once did not know what to say, for once he was in a no win situation and he couldn't pull out a disruptor or get his goons to make it all go away, he had never felt so much pain as he felt right now and he wasn't sure what to do about it so he got up from where he was kneeling and swiftly left the room, where soon after he could hear Comfort's cries behind him.

* * *

Four days had passed since the incident and Koval was an absolute mess.  
He was never able to sleep for more than a couple of hours at a time, to say nothing of his decreased appetite for food always reminded him of her.  
He was sitting in the middle of a briefing where the Senators were going over Rateg expenses, but his mind kept going back to the previous night where he had gone for the first time to the house he had gotten for her with hopes to find her there to tell her that he was willing to change, and beg her for a second chance when he saw that all of her possessions had been cleared out.  
Then, right in the middle of the living room table in a neat stack was the Communicator, PADD and the book bag he had gotten for her when she was still living in Louisiana.

He had picked up the items with tears in his eyes as his mind was suddenly flooded with memories of seeing her sitting on the side of the road, completely helpless because her bag had broken, and all of the heavy books had been spilled on the floor. She had hung her head in shame and misery and he had smiled and triumphed at her expense. Then he remembered seeing her lying lifeless in the middle of the street having just gotten hit by a hover car, and now she had left him because he had failed to tell her the truth. All she had wanted was for him to be honest with her about things and he couldn't even do that.  
It was then that he fell on his knees and cried bitterly as he held the items he had given her in his arms.

* * *

Two more days had gone by in which Koval had fallen back into the habit of trying to scour his PADD for any news about her, but then it dawned on him that she was living on Romulus and she was an insignificant source of interest to anybody there.  
Having finally given in, he called Letant on his computer and luckily, he had answered right away.

Letant lifted a brow when he saw him. "So, you're really going to let it end then" Letant began.

"She wont answer my calls and I've tried several times to speak to her at school, but she always manages to avoid me."

"You hurt her, she is suffering emotionally."

"I am too! And she doesn't understand that Cretak is a liar and a bitter shrewd woman who was just using all of this to get back at me for never loving her!"

"I know that this might not be the easiest thing to hear right now Koval but did you ever think that this might be for the best? You both are very different people who come from different worlds. You have your ways Koval, and don't you think that if you stay together, all you'll end up doing is hurting each other more?"

"It is done Letant, I cannot have anyone other than her! And what are you carrying on for anyway? Here you are married to a human; you make it sound as if it were impossible!"

"It is not." He replied. "But I had to work at it, and so did she, and I had to change my ways, I had to 'compromise' and I don't' know if that is something you're willing to do for her."

But it was something he was willing to do, and the more he thought about it that night even after he had tried to fall asleep but couldn't, the more he realized that everything he had now, all that he had worked for meant nothing if she wasn't there to share it with. He would have to find a way to let her know that he was willing to go above and beyond for them to get back together.


	14. Chapter 14

Koval walked into his office the following morning when he realized something was strange. He couldn't really pin-point what it was but something was definitely not right.  
He pulled out his disruptor when the chair he usually sat on swerved around to reveal a smirking Cretak with her leg draped over the arm of his chair.  
She eyed him up and down with intense satisfaction as she chuckled, she had never seen him look so completely defeated and it brought her tremendous pleasure.

"Good Morning Koval; I see you finally made it to work this morning."

"Kimara; I would like to know how you managed to get past my security." He stated rather calmly, almost too calmly, as a matter of fact; Cretak had found it extremely strange that he had not set his goons out to get her the minute he discovered that she had been the cause of his dissolved relationship with Comfort, as the days passed, she realized she was going to have to seek him out to get her answers.

"Surely you remember that I have my ways when it comes to guards." She ended with a playful smirk. "So, now you're going to run to Praetor Neral and tell him all the awful things I have done to you to have me removed from the Senate." She said as she eyed him with intensity, if she were lucky, they would be back together and kissing passionately over his desk by the time the conversation was over. Koval needed to learn once and for all that he couldn't escape his destiny, she was his destiny.

He didn't say anything, he came around, put his things down and grabbed another chair that was across from where she was and moved it so that he was sitting beside her. He folded his hands on his lap and looked at her face with much seriousness. "Kimara; I owe you an apology."

Her jaw dropped. She couldn't have possibly heard right, was he for real? Her eyes narrowed as she looked at him, but Koval was not a man who joked, and she knew right away that he meant what he was saying.

"In the past I made you believe things that were not true. I made you believe that you and I could come to form a relationship, and led you on to such a degree that you developed strong feelings for me, feelings that I simply never could reciprocate." He looked at her shocked expression and continued.  
"I tire of these games Kimara, it might have been fun and thrilling at one time, but it's not anymore, and I really believe that you need to move on and find a good man that will value you for the strong, and admirable woman that you are."

She was still staring at him in complete shock when she finally replied: "She's made you soft Koval, you really do love her don't you?"

"Yes, I love her Kimara, I can't even tell you how it happened but it did, and she is the only one I will ever want."

In that moment, she got up and picked up his heavy chair with her superior Romulan strength and threw it against the wall so hard that it was a wonder she didn't knock a hole through it.

"You belong to me Koval!" She said as she walked towards him and cradled his face in her hands, but he didn't look at her, he kept his vision towards the floor.  
"We belong together Koval, nobody understands you like I do, you could learn to love me like you love her, you just need to give it time, give us time!"

He looked up at her finally, stared into her eyes, eyes that weren't teal, hair that wasn't brilliantly red and almost sobbed. Kimara noticed this and her eyes grew wide.

"For years Koval, you had expressed your disdain towards humans, talked of them as if they were the lowest of life forms and now look at you, in complete disarray over one."

"I love her…" He whispered, then looked up at her again. "She is the only woman I will ever love."

Kimara stood there for several moments before she finally turned around and left.

Koval stayed seated for a few minutes, his mind running with various thoughts, his heart and mind in complete agony over everything that had been transpiring. The girl up till now had showed absolutely no interesting in getting in contact with him, and he began to fear that she really would never speak to him again. Unable to withstand it further, he got up out of his chair and left his office.

* * *

Three days later Comfort was checking her messages that morning, she had set her computer to block anything that came from Koval but he must have sent it from another computer because that morning she got a message from him with the title: "My Last Message"

Immediately she felt her heartache and that nauseous feeling in the pit of her stomach as she opened the message with trembling fingers.

"_Dearest Comfort,_

_ I write you this note to inform you before you hear it via the press that I have tendered my resignation as Chairman of the Tal-shiar.  
Initially I had planned to strategize a way to make you see, make you understand how much you mean to me, but it is only recently that I have come to realize that maybe the only way I can do this is by setting you free of me once and for all. I do however want to make you aware of the fact that I did and will always love you, and I thank you for having allowed me the pleasure of knowing what love is, even though it was extremely brief._

_We got off at such a regretful start, and it seems that I only served to bring you pain and grief and for that I apologize. You are an excellent female, and you will go above and beyond. You shine so brightly Comfort, that even the most narrow-minded Romulan in existence was able to see it, and feel drawn to it._

_I will be leaving Romulus tomorrow and I don't know when I will return but before I leave, not only did I wish to apologize, but also to tell you that I will never forget you. I hope that someday you can find it within you to forgive me, and come to believe that the time that we spent together were the most cherished for me._

_I will always carry you in my thoughts and in my heart,._

_~Koval "_

After Comfort read his letter for what must have been the fifth time, she broke down sobbing.

Yes, she was still angry, yes she was still hurting with regards to what had happened with Cretak, but she wasn't ready for this, she wasn't expecting for him to leave planet and maybe never return.  
She didn't know what to do or what to think. A part of him thought him a coward for running away from the problem, but then there was the fact that she was totally and completely ignoring everything he attempted to do. Here he was, even resigning from his job, something he had worked so hard to accomplish. He had told her once of how he had struggled, he didn't go into details but she understood that it had taken years to achieve everything that he had.

She was still trembling when she closed out of the message, and another one popped up on her screen with the headline: "Senator Kimara Cretak seen with human doctor, Julian Bashir."  
In the picture, she had her hands all over him while he was grinning at her. Comfort cocked her head to the side and thought about the conversation they had had, she had made it sound like she was in incredible agony over what Koval had done to her and yet, here she was, her hands all over this other man.

It was then that doubt started to settle into Comfort's mind all over again, she couldn't focus on anything else even though she tried to do her homework. She looked up at the time in her room, it was late, and by tomorrow Koval would be gone, maybe forever and she realized that she couldn't live with herself if that happened because after all was said and done, she wasn't done with him, she was still in love with him, and if they didn't at least talk this last time, she would never forgive herself.

Having made up her mind, she quickly got up and out of her room and went to the living area where she found Bea sitting on Letant's lap as he read a chapter from the Jane Austen classic, "Sense & Sensibility"

"I uh.. I'm sorry to interrupt but I need someone to drive me somewhere."

Bea looked up and immediately from the pitch of her voice and the look in her eyes, she knew where she needed to go and she quickly jumped off Letant's lap. "I'll drive!"  
Letant sighed in turn. "Fine, I might as well come along too."


	15. Chapter 15

When they arrived at Koval's estate, it was unusually dark and eerily quiet. They all exited the hover car and looked around before Letant whispered; "It almost looks as if nobody is even here."  
He pulled out his comm but had no success in contacting him. They knocked on the door, rang the doorbell, and still had no success.

"You don't think he's already gone do you? He said he wasn't leaving until tomorrow." Comfort said shakily. She was beyond anxious and unnerved at the fact that the estate looked so deserted, and she couldn't even think of where to begin to look for him, it was possible that he might be settling his final affairs at his office, and then the thought crossed her mind that he might have already found someone else to replace her, but she quickly shook that thought out of her mind before she ran too far with it.

Bea was looking through the window, and Comfort didn't like the look on her face. "It's empty inside, all the furniture is gone."

"Wouldn't it be humorous if it turned out that while we drove out over here, he was on his way to our estate?" Letant chuckled.

Comfort's eyes grew wide with even more anxiety as Bea gave Letant a playful shove. "Honey, she's worried sick, don't say stuff like that." Letant let out a hearty laugh, he knew it probably wasn't the most appropriate time to do so, but he could vividly picture a love-sick Koval running hastily up the steps to his estate and ringing the doorbell like a mad-man only to be told that they had already left to go to his house.  
He wiped his eye and was turned to where Comfort had been standing only to find that she wasn't there anymore.

"Comfort?" Bea turned around as well. "Where did she go? She was right there."

They both looked towards the gate and saw her climbing over it. They both let out a loud gasp.

"You crazy girl! You better thank your human luck you weren't electrocuted just now!" Letant yelled.

"I just need to check one last place!" She yelled back before she jumped on to the other side. She landed hard on the grass and stained her face, but she didn't care, all she cared about was finding Koval. She had a gut feeling that she knew where he would be; the gazebo, the place where they shared their very first kiss.

She was running at this point. The plants and shrubs a blur as she ran past them until the gazebo finally came into view. At first her heart sank when she didn't see anyone there even though it was hard to see because it was so dark, but as she got closer, she could make out a form sitting on the bench there; it was him.

He was hunched forward and looking towards the floor, in that moment Comfort was overcome with such an array of emotion that it took all her self control to keep from yelling his name at the top of her voice.

Koval was in fact thinking about their first kiss. Nothing had ever been so perfect, nothing had ever taken his breath away in such a manner, and nothing ever would. He never believed in the notion humans had of having a 'soul mate' in his mind it was just another one of those insignificant human expressions that were devoid of meaning, but now… It was very different.  
A part of him realized that what he was doing was lunacy, and in fact; many people told him this on various occasions, but he just couldn't stay residing on a planet where every single thing reminded him of her; it was just far too painful for him to bear. He understood why it was that sometimes humans had been known to die for what they called 'a broken heart'. If he who as a Romulan was physically and mentally stronger than a human could hardly withstand the pain, he did not know how a human was able to cope with it.

He heard footsteps approaching and immediately looked up; it was Comfort, standing there in her jeans and plaid shirt, she loved plaid shirts, she had several in a wide variety of colors.  
His dreams were very vivid for it almost seemed as if she was really there looking at him with tears in her eyes.

"Koval" She whispered.

He closed his eyes and shook his head, it would not do to dream of her in such a manner.  
When he opened his eyes again she was so close to him that he gasped and would have fell had he not already been sitting.

"Comfort…Are you really here?" He asked as he immediately cradled her face in his large hands. He felt her tears as they pooled around his fingers, he wiped at a stain on her cheek and realized it wasn't a dream.

"Yes Koval; I'm here." She replied.

"You came back…" And when realization finally dawned on him, he picked her up off the ground as if she weighed no more than a dry leaf and spun her around before he crushed her lips with his own with such intensity and passion that he felt as if his chest were about to explode. Comfort reciprocated just as ardently and his impulse to claim her completely took over as his fingers hastily began to unbutton her shirt, but she grabbed him by the wrist and looked into his deep and dark eyes before saying: "Be careful my Koval, I do not wish to escalate things further than what you are ready for."

He couldn't help but laugh for she had used the same line he had said to her when they had first starting becoming familiar with one another.

"I want you Comfort" He said in between kisses. "All of you; I will never let you go, not tonight, not ever." He took her curls in his hands and inhaled her scent before kissing her again.

"So, you're not leavin' planet tomorrow now?" She whispered after they had been kissing for a while.

"Of course not, and I will not ask to be placed back as head of the Tal-Shiar although I have a feeling they already had a replacement the moment I gave the formal resignation.

She eyed him with concern. "Koval, what will you do now? "

He caressed her lips with his fingers before kissing her again. "I have obtained much financial wealth over the years Comfort, made wise investments and in reality; I probably do not need to work and we could live extremely well, but since you are an up and rising scientist, I have several ideas that we can discuss." He kissed her again, and looked into her teal eyes before he leaned his forehead against hers.

"I beg your forgiveness Comfort, for everything that you had to go through and for making you doubt me. I understand why you felt that you could not trust me. Had it been me in your position I would have done the very same thing, if not worse."

"I want no secrets between us Koval, I want you to trust me with anythin' and everythin', even if I don't agree with it, I reckon we can work it out somehow."

"Oh how I missed your voice and that lovely Louisiana accent of yours." He said as he cradled her face. He couldn't get enough of her plump pink lips and pointy nose that he would sometimes peck with his lips because it made her giggle; she was just so kissable that she made him completely undone. It was a good thing they were alone, any Romulan would be shocked beyond measure if they saw how he was acting now, he could be described as giddy; the complete opposite of how he ever allowed himself to be viewed in public.

"Koval, why don't you stay over at Letant's place tonight, that way I can fix us up a nice spread in the mornin', you look like you lost some weight there." She said as she pressed against his sides and felt his bones.

He laughed and held her tightly to him. "I would love nothing better." He replied and took her by the hand as they walked to the front of the house where they found Bea and Letant sitting on the steps of the house looking over pictures of their last vacation.

"For some reason, Bianca says she wants us to go to Nua Breizh for our next family vacation, I'm not sure why she specifically wants to go there." Bea said. Letant shrugged; I am not familiar with the place, maybe some friend of hers told her about it and now she wants to go, you know how children are."

The sound of footsteps alerted Letant specifically and they swerved around to see Comfort and Koval walking hand in hand. The sight of their swollen lips, and glazed eyes was enough for them to know that they had officially made up.

"Y'all don't mind if he stays at your place tonight do ya?" She asked with a wide smile on her face.  
Letant chuckled. "So long as I don't have to go into work tomorrow so I can spend the day with my Bea; you're still the boss until the resignation goes through tomorrow Koval."

Koval laughed in turn. "Only Letant would scheme up such a plan, fine, we have an agreement then."

"And I would like to be added as part of the Louisiana committee before you resign Chairman." Said a new voice. They all turned and found that Vreenak had been hiding behind a tree the entire time and only now just jumped out.  
They all looked at him with wide eyes. "What? Everyone gets a happy ending except for me! My human female Jan is on Earth and I'm still here! In all candor, how would you feel if you were in my position?" He said as he angrily crossed his arms.

Letant waved Vreenak over. "Why don't you join us too, Comfort can whip up some of those greens you're so fond of."

Vreenak's eyes lit up. "Collard greens? Really?" He asked and looked over at Comfort to confirm she was in agreement.

She shrugged. "Sure, I'll whip us up a nighttime treat."

* * *

They ate, drank, and talked until the wee hours, and eventually Comfort and Koval fell asleep in each other's arms on the large chaise lounge that was in the living room.

"Just leave them there." Letant whispered to Bea as they got up and finally retired for the night.

It wasn't the morning light that woke both Koval and Comfort, but the sound of giggling and whispering. They both opened their eyes to find the kids gathered around them, their cheeks a greenish hue as they covered their mouths with their hands.

"Whatcha guys doin' sleepin' in our living room?" Bretant asked.

"We must've fell asleep here." Comfort said as she sat up. Their response was to giggle some more.

"Are you guys married now?" Lentak asked, and that made Comfort blush, but Koval triumphantly answered: "We will be very soon."

"But she doesn't have a ring." Bianca said in a confused manner. "You're supposed to give her a promise ring, that's what daddy did for mommy."

"Really?" Koval said with sincere amusement for there was obviously yet another human custom he was going to have to research.  
Bianca nodded. "Uh huh, it's a symbol of your loooove, and she has to get you one too!" She said as she pointed at Comfort, the boys were giggling and extremely amused with regards to seeing that they apparently knew more about such matters than grown adults.

"Kids! We're going to be late if you don't hurry! Daddy is coming with us today." Bea called from the other room.

They waved goodbye and left in a hurry.

Comfort giggled when they left, realizing how odd it must have been to find their father's boss and her sleeping in the living room together. Koval on the other hand was deep in thought for it seemed that he was going to have to pay a visit to the jeweler's again very soon.

**Ahhhh, kids say the darnest things :-)**


	16. Chapter 16

**A short chapter, just until I get back into the swing of things.**

**Some of you already know that I've been dealing with some difficult situations in RL and all your comments/reviews/pm's have been such a huge motivation to me, I cannot thank all of you enough! :-)**

**Also, Jamille Shane has a new Romulan tale out; go check it out ;-)**

* * *

Koval didn't waste much time.

On a pretense to go back to his estate to get some things, he stopped by the jewelers and got her a precious Romulan diamond ring that equaled in worth to a small house in Rateg. The shopkeeper of course was all smiles and overly attentive to all his questions.  
"If the ring doesn't fit your mate than we can always resize for you free of charge Chairman."

He looked up and gave the shopkeeper a small smile. "I am not Chairman of the Tal-Shiar anymore sir."

Had it been under other circumstances, such a declaration would be viewed as a disgrace, but Koval didn't care, he was going to marry the most beautiful, intelligent, and amazing female he had ever known and that was worth more than anything else in his eyes.

"Oh?" The shopkeeper said in surprise. "Then… Uhh.."

"You can call me Koval." He replied.

The shopkeeper looked around awkwardly. "Yes, of course Mr. Koval, so about the ring." And then all awkwardness was gone for the shopkeeper could give two straws about much of anything other than seeing the credits go through on the sale of the ring.

When he got back, with the ring in his pocket, he found Comfort had prepared him an exquisite spread of blueberry pancakes, bacon, and fruit.

After breakfast, they ended up kissing and cuddling on the chaise lounge chair when Letant barged in through the front door carrying in one had a bottle of a very expensive Kali fal reserve and in the other he had a bottle of non-alcoholic Cider. He ran about the room singing and shouting like a lunatic as his cape whipped wildly in the air behind him.

Comfort placed her hands over her mouth as if to disguise her laughter while Koval watched in complete horror and shock before he bellowed out:

"Letant! What is the meaning of this!"

He finally stopped in front of them, looking at them both wildly before he spun on his heels to face Bea who was walking through the door with a wide smile on her face.

"Shall I tell him?" Letant asked her, but before Bea could answer, Letant quickly spun around again and announced at the top of his lungs:

"My beautiful and darling wife Bea is….. PREGNANT!"

He then stepped quickly again over to the bar area and twisted the cap off the cider before he pulled out the cork and it made a loud 'pop' sound.

"Oh my gosh Bea, congratulations!" Comfort said as she ran over to her. She was congregated and all those around her felt her tummy or held her hand.

"It will be a boy, and he will be future chairman of the Tal-Shiar!" Letant announced proudly.

Koval however lifted a brow at his direction. "You seem very sure of that Letant, What if the child Comfort and I bring into the world triumphs in said venture?"

Letant smirked and smiled wickedly. "One step at a time old man, you have to get married first."

Koval nodded. "I intend to, that is why…." He then turned to Comfort and looked deeply into her eyes. He dug into his pocket and brought out the ring he had spent a small fortune on.  
Comfort gasped as he opened the small box, the rock shined so brightly in the light that it was a wonder she had not gone blind, just looking at it she could tell that he had spent a fortune on the ring.

"Comfort…" He began. "I do not ever wish to be parted from you again. As we have gotten to know one another I find that I not only have fallen for your beauty but your mind and temperament as well; please accept my offer of marriage."

He then nervously pulled out the ring from the box and placed in on her tiny finger; thankfully it fit perfectly.

With tears in her eyes, she nodded and latched on to him in a tight embrace. "Yes Koval; I accept to be your wife." She exclaimed.  
Koval picked her up easily and whirled her around, oblivious to the world around him, oblivious to the fact that Bea and Letant were watching with intrigue.

"He ruined our moment Bea." Letant grumbled.

She chuckled and shoved him playfully. "We should be rejoicing as well, everyone has had their share of fantastic news recently and after all that they've been through particularly; I say that it's a relief to be outdone in good news."

Letant smiled as he caressed her still flat stomach. "Let's keep it down to just one child this time shall we?"

She smirked in turn and kissed him. "You're no fun; I was hoping we'd have four this time around."

His eyes grew wide which caused her to laugh even more. "I'm kidding! It was a joke!"

Suddenly, the door flew open again and in came Vreenak with Jan's arm linked with his.

"I couldn't wait for us to get back on Romulus to tell you all the good news!" Vreenak exclaimed happily. Jan smiled shyly with a "hey y'all; I'm back!"

They all stayed staring wide-eyed until Jan lifted her hand and showed them her ring.


	17. Chapter 17

Letant smirked as he looked at the ring that was on Jan's finger, he was surprised to see that it looked like an actual diamond.

"Why Vreenak, you must really be in love for I would've thought you would have purchased the engagement ring out of a 25 credit machine." Letant smiled as he envisioned Vreenak swiping his card into one of the metal machines seen outside of food stores, usually it was children who purchased such cheap devices for entertainment.

Bea and Comfort tried to hide their laughter, it was a well known fact that Senator Vreenak was known for being some what frugal in nature, but Letant was right; it looked to be in impressive ring, not as impressive as Comfort's but it was totally different at the same time. Jan's stone was a bright pale pink color encased around several smaller stones.

"For your information, this ring happens to have belonged to my grandmother." Vreenak replied proudly.

"I should have known, that means you didn't pay anything at all for it!" Letant then smirked and wandered over to Jan who was blushing madly while everyone else seemed to be biting their lip to ward off laughter at Vreenak's expression.

"You make him give you his credit card while he's off working during the days, go shopping to your heart's content."

"I'm sure you do the same for your wife then?" Vreenak challenged with his arms crossed in front of him.

"He doesn't give me his credit card." Bea replied.

"See?! I knew it!" Vreenak shouted accusingly at Letant.

"I take it from him when I need it, most of the time it's for the kids anyway." Bea replied with a smile at Vreenak, whose jaw had dropped as he looked between Bea and Letant. He then felt the back of his plain grey suit, making sure his wallet was still there and then looked over at Jan suspiciously for a moment before his features softened and he fully embraced her.

"In all candor though, Jan will never want for nothing, I will take good care of her." And he meant it.

Bea then looked around, wondering why they hadn't heard from Comfort and Koval in the last few minutes, only to find them sitting across the room and whispering to each other and every so often sneaking kisses. Letant all but rolled his eyes at seeing his once powerful and no nonsense boss acting like a hormonal human teenager.

"So when are they to marry?" Vreenak asked, not daring to walk over and interrupt Koval and Comfort's conversation, even though he was no longer head of the Tal-Shiar, he still regarded him with utmost respect and regard. "And speaking of married," Bea interrupted which caused Vreenak to frown again,

"What of Kutunah and your cousin Rosemary? I haven't heard from them in ages! It's like they fell off the face of Romulus!"

Jan smiled. "Theys' not on Romulus no more, we saw them just before we left Louisiana. Kutunah was so taken with the beauty of our little southern bayou that they decided to move there. Kutunah got a job transfer and everythin'."

"They didn't even stop by to say goodbye!" Bea exclaimed.

"It all happened rather ' fixin' to get married soon too, I reckon we should organize somethin', like triple weddin'!"

The women squealed happily while the men simply looked at each other as if they didn't know who they were.  
Eventually Koval and Comfort joined them and the rest of the day was spent with talk of preparations for the women while the men relaxed in the sitting room, Vreenak in particular helping himself to Letant's expensive Kali fal. He'd hold up the glass in to the light and then take several sniffs before finally taking a sip and letting his eyes roll back in ecstasy.

"This is excellent Letant, some of the finest kali fal I've ever had."

"It should be; I paid over 20,000 credits for that bottle."

When Letant said this, Vreenak was in mid-sip, causing him to choke and almost spill the precious blue liquid from his mouth.  
"20,000 credits?! Are you mad?!" Vreenak exclaimed.

"It's not every day that your wife becomes pregnant." Letant replied cooly.

"For normal individuals I'd agree, but with regard to you and Bea, I'd say you'll be flat broke in a few years."

Letant ignored him and instead turned towards Koval and slapped him hard on the back. "So you finally did it old man, you're going to marry the female of your dreams."

"It was not an easy venture as you know."  
Koval replied as he looked across the room to where Comfort was sitting, they had the computer up and it seemed that Rosemary was on the other end. Apparently they were discussing the marriage as both Comfort and Jan held up their hands up to the monitor. They were all laughing and giggling excessively; it was good to see Comfort so happy, it caused Koval an indescribable joy that was still foreign in nature, but he could of course get very use to it.

"But that's what makes the victory all the more glorious! It was the same for me and Bea. The day that we got engaged I felt as if I was on top of Romulus! Before you know it, we'll be celebrating your first baby shower."

"That is still being negotiated Letant. I would like to take advantage of having Comfort to myself as often as possible, to leave planet whenever we wish and not have to worry, it would be difficult if we immediately had a child."

"That is true." Letant nodded. "But there will come a point where you will look at her, and your mind will automatically have the desire to produce offspring. Call it an instinct, then all of the sudden, all that alone time doesn't feel so fantastic as it once did. Having children can be challenging at times of course, but it is worth it."

Koval thought about Letant's words, he would wait though. Comfort was still in school and he needed to get to work on his backup plans now that he was no longer the chairman of the Tal-Shiar.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOOoOoOoOoO oOoO  
_  
2 months later..._

"Do you wish to impress Jan tonight?" Rosemary asked Vreenak. They were in the kitchen setting up the refreshments for the rehearsal dinner. They had rented out one of the ballrooms of the most luxurious hotels in Rateg, with over 80 guests in attendance, not including the wedding planner and caterers. Vreenak of course was preparing for this big event by organizing the bottles of Kali fal.

"I'm listening." He said with intrigue.

"You should wear human attire tonight." Rosemary said, trying her hardest to keep a straight face.

"I am not human." Vreenak replied.

Duh, Rosemary thought, and suddenly an image of a velociraptor roaring loudly appeared in her mind and this time she couldn't hold her laughter, but she immediately covered her mouth and began to cough.

"Are you alright?" He asked with concern, he had not noticed.

"Yeah, just.. hope I'm not getting sick.. anyway. I realize that you're not human, and that's why it would be super special if you showed up wearing this tonight."

She pulled out her PADD and showed him a bright green jumpsuit, looking like something MC hammer use to wear back in the early 1990's. The outfit came complete with gold chains and space man boots. Rosemary thought he wouldn't go for it at first but then his features softened and a small smirk graced his mouth. "I like the color."

She blinked and then immediately jumped on his positive response. "Ok, I'm going to place an order for it right now, I'll even pick it up for you. Oh, and don't tell Jan! Let it be a surprise when she sees you."

Vreenak slanted his head to the side and then shrugged his shoulders before going back to arranging his beloved Kali fal bottles.

OoOoOooOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Comfort had just finished her last class of the day and was headed towards the public shuttle, but she looked up and saw Koval leaning against a hover car and waiting for her. She smiled brightly and ran towards him; she knew that Romulans did not display affection in a public setting, so she waited patiently until they were in the car to greet him properly with a smoldering kiss and caresses that left them both breathless.

"So" He finally said after trying to catch his breath and think back on what he was going to say. "You're done with the first year of school."

"Yes, only one more year before I enter the graduate program; I still can't believe how much I have skipped ahead! And they want me trainin' in an actual facility next year! I reckon I'll get some good experience then!"

"Why is it hard to believe? You are incredibly intelligent."

She laughed and hit him playfully. "You flatter me Koval."

"You know I mean it." He said looking deep into her eyes and giving her cheek a gentle caress before clearing his throat.

"Are you ready for tonight then?"

"More than ready." She replied.

"I have something I want to show you, my wedding present to you."

"But Koval! I thought we'd leave that for after we're married!"

He grinned devilishly and kissed her again before he continued. "It's a place my Comfort, here in Rateg. I will drive us there now."

Comfort looked at him with confusion. "A place? Hmmm.. I have to admit I'm intrigued."

He was smiling almost the whole time they drove for he knew that she would never guess what his gift to her would be.

**Any guesses on what Koval's gift is?**


	18. Chapter 18

**FF was acting totally whack on Saturday, so make sure you read the previous chapter first**

* * *

When they arrived, Comfort was a bit confused for they were standing in front of a large glass looking building right in the heart of the city. She blinked awkwardly when Koval asked what she thought. "Koval honey, what exactly is this?"

He smirked in turn. "I thought you might ask that. As of 700 hours today, you and I are the sole owners of the Khavaan medical industry, we now have the power to supply medicinal needs like the one you created, to all those we wish. Would you like to tour our new facility?" He said as if what he had done had no significant meaning.

Koval watched with tremendous gratification at Comforts reaction. She no longer needed to worry about getting a job once she finished school for she would already be Co-Chairman of her own company, it also supplied him with a job as well, for while she tended to the technical issues, he would busy himself while interacting with customers and potential buyers, using his astute ability at negotiating, only now for a cause that would help the citizens of Romulus. Then of course there was the added bonus of always knowing where his Comfort would be, this ensured that they would be together as much as possible, and many 'business' meetings alone in the confined conference room.

* * *

It was time for rehearsal to start, the smell of food wafting through the air made Comfort antsy, for she had only had a light lunch that day and it was already well into the evening hours.  
"Who are we waitin' for anyway?"

"Vreenak." Koval replied looking a bit serious himself.

"Jan, can't you message him or somethin'? I'm about to eat a mule if we don't get things underway here!"  
Before Jan could answer though, the wedding planner came scurrying, announcing that Vreenak had just arrived and they would be starting in three minutes.  
In response, Comfort's stomach growled loudly. She blushed and patted her stomach.

"This is all your fiance's fault!" She accused Jan.

"You know what I think Comfort? I think you're jealous of my fiancé, and you too Rosemary! Don't think I don't see you laughing over there!"

"Me?!" Rosemary said in the most innocent manner she could muster. "What have I done?!"

"Always makin' fun of my Vreeky-poo, it's not my fault you picked such an ugly Romulan to marry!" Jan replied bitterly.

"Now wait a second!" Rosemary said snapping out of her innocent stance. "You wanna talk about ugly? Let's not forget that you're the one that's gonna marry the only living dinosaur on Romulus!"

And as if on cue, Vreenak entered the room in his atrocious bright green jumpsuit and space man boots. Every time he took a step his gold chains would jingle together.

"I have arrived!" He said with all the arrogance of an aristocrat. "Please try to calm yourselves ladies." he said with a smug smile and popped his collar.

The first reaction from everyone was shock, followed by a torrent of laughter which only caused to confuse Vreenak and have Jan run out of the room crying.  
It was then that Rosemary realized that her little trick on Vreenak wasn't so funny after all. She ran after Jan, and Vreenak frowned as he ripped the chains off of him and kicked off his boots.

"Maybe all of us marrying at the same time was a mistake."  
He grumbled angrily as he stormed off, already unbuttoning the large jumpsuit.  
Comfort closed her eyes and hummed angrily. "I think I should go check on Jan." She said, and was about to follow Rosemary when Koval grabbed her wrist and gently pulled her to him.

"Not yet, I think they have some issues to work out alone." Koval replied.  
She blinked and then smiled, falling into his arms and embracing him tightly. He was right; it was obvious the two cousins had some issues to work out.

"I love you Koval." She whispered in his arms.

"And I you Comfort." He replied.

* * *

Jan had locked herself away in the bathroom stall, Rosemary kept pleading with her to come out but Jan wouldn't even reply.

"Look, I'm sorry 'kay? We're already so late for this rehearsal, you need to come out already, stop bein' such a cry baby!"

"You always do this to me! Always teasin' me, teasin' my choices! All I've ever done is try to be nice to you and this is how you repay me, I can't reckon how you can be so cruel!"  
Jan sobbed.

Rosemary sighed. "Look, the truth is that I tease him cause I don't think he's good 'nough for ya, there I said it!"

"and you tell me this now?! Why didn't you come out and say it before, instead of doing all those hurtful things?!"

"You're so hung up on this feller and.. I was hoping that maybe by embarrassing him and making him look like a weasel you'd see reason... Can you please come out of the stall? I don't wanna have no conversation like this."

Jan waited a few seconds and finally came out of the stall, but she didn't look better, she still seemed angry.  
"I reckon there were far better ways for you to have said this to me, look at the scene that you caused. You embarrassed both him and I."

"I know.. and I'm sorry. I just want the very best for you because I love you, your my little cousin and I gotta look out for ya." Rosemary replied. As she hung her head.

Jan sighed and wiped her face. "I know that you're lookin' out for what's best for me, but you haven't taken the time to get to know him. You've been in la-la-gaggin' land with Kutunah and you only see Vreenak's Romulan bravado side, you have no idea how kind and caring he is to me. He respects my opinion and is considerate of my wants and needs which is more than I can say for any of them toads back in Louisiana."

"You're right, I've distanced myself a bit and what I done aint right. I'll go apologize to Vreenak and everyone else."  
And true to her word, she did just that. Vreenak didn't seem too convinced and had she been anyone other than a relative of Jan's, she'd have disappeared the following day with no trace of her previous whereabouts. His ego was still obviously bruised after having almost everyone in the room laugh at his expense but for Jan's sake, he decided to let it go, such an act shocked him and he then realized just how deeply his feelings for Jan ran.

The rehearsal did not last long as most everyone's mind was on eating.

Little Bianca carried a basket with imaginary petals while Bretant and Lentak carried all the imaginary rings.

The dinner was set up buffet style and there was a wide assortment of food to choose from ranging from fried catfish and chicken, seafood gumbo, collard greens, rice and beans, there were some Romulan dishes too, mainly the desserts and that purple one with the green glaze Comfort had enjoyed while she was dating Koval was served.

Comfort gazed up at Koval completely love struck at all he had done for her, and for the sake of their relationship. She no longer had to worry about what kind of job he would take up for she had feared that after they were married, he would eventually want to go back to his old ways but now if they were working together; she could influence him to do things in ethical ways if an issue ever came up. It was funny to her because he was still going to be a chairman, just in a different way.  
If either of them had to travel, they could do it together and go on vacation whenever they want because they can. It wasn't a romantic gift like a bouquet of flowers but in the end it really was; the perfect gift for them.

She then looked up at the scenery around her; everyone was still either eating or joyously talking, the scene having taken place previously already gone from people's minds. She spotted Bea filling a plate with fried chicken, while Letant tried to slip in a couple of green vegetables. Her two month baby bump was already protruding nicely. She then looked over at Jan and Vreenak, he was busy eating collards while Jan was smiling, thankfully. Tomorrow would be such a joyous occasion and she was slightly saddened at the thought that her parents would not be present to witness the happiest day of her life. Koval might have been the only serious boyfriend she had ever had but she already knew that he was the one, and it didn't matter to her that he was Romulan. No silly boy back in Louisiana would ever make her feel nor cater to her needs like Koval did.  
Koval sneaked his hand under the table and laid it on top of Comforts. Her large teal eyes turned to his darker ones in question.

"We should go; Tomorrow is going to be an eventful day." He whispered.

She nodded, and they both rose out of their seats. Other's followed their example and soon there was a trickle of people exiting the ballroom.  
Comfort knew it would be difficult for her to go to sleep. The excitement in knowing that by this time tomorrow; she'll already be a married woman was just too much.

**Next Chapter will be the Wedding, and also the last one in this story, but I'll include an epilogue so stay tuned for that!**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed/favorited/followed this story, and special thanks Lorna Winters (I still picture Vreenak singing when I say that name) Thyme2Read, Wildblume, and Jamille Shane; members of the "Human Females who only date Pointy-eared Males" Society, and General Martok for being such a handsome devil ;-) yeah, I said it!**


	19. Chapter 19

**And... the last chapter.**

**I brought in a couple of characters from previous chapters, for heart rendering reasons *puts hand on heart and awwwws***

* * *

For the massive celebration, Rateg's botanical gardens was closed down for the exclusive Wedding's. A drone of guards surrounded the area, warding off members of the press or anyone else trying to sneak in.

This wedding would certainly go down in the history books for never had three Romulan males simultaneously taken human females as brides, not to mention that one of them was ex-chairman of the Tal-Shiar and while it was well known that the Chairman had been seeing the human for quite some time, news of his stepping down and marrying the human caused even more of a buzz, particularly on Earth where some of Comfort's old classmates and teachers congregated around a PADD and gossiped about the headlines.

"She done gone and married that feller that almost killed her?" One of them asked in confusion.

"Maybe it's them aliens way of showing their love or somethin'" The other tried to reason.

"I reckon things are going well for her though, it says here she's already goin' to start on her graduate program."

"Yeah, well, she shouldn't have to even go to school if you ask me. She proved she got lots of talent simply by discoverin' that cure." Another person added.

Billy huffed angrily at all the conversation, for Comfort was the one girl he never could claim, and even with all the gossip columns and talk around town, he still couldn't believe she chose that alien over him, it just wasn't right.

* * *

What had previously been a large, empty half acre of land within the gardens before had been turned into a reception area in less than an hour.

Dozens of contractors scurried around pitching white tents and white parsons chairs with lace ribbons tied to the backs. Tables were covered with silk tablecloths, fine silver and the best Romulan crystal. Then the floral team arrived with buckets of roses and other flowers, all in various colors and each table had a vase that scented the area with its sweet gardenia perfume.

The wedding planners ran from one place to the other as another shipment arrived. One of the various photographers arrived and declared that the happy couples were on their way.  
Men arrived carrying cases of Champagne, Kali fal, Beer, Wine, Soft drinks, and Water, buckets of ice followed, and if you were looking in from the outside, it was chaos and yet it was organized.

Suddenly, the large and luxurious cars pulled up and stand-byers, as well as the media people - both human and Romulan alike began to scatter around frantically, posing their cameras and taking aim for the perfect shot.

Rosemary was first to step out of the car. Unlike the poufy imagery one was use to associating with in a wedding dress, Rosemary had opted for something much more simple but extremely elegant. A silk skirt suit designed by Ramel; Rateg's most famous designer. She had a matching beautiful hat with a veil. She carried her flowers as she waited for the others with an excited smile on her face.  
Jan was the second in stepping out, her dress was also designed by Ramel. The material was satiny and mimicked the renaissance style of earth as it had a corset. Her hair was braided and then pinned in a spiral twist; many white flowers were then pinned carefully to enhance her already youthful, happy glow.  
Last was Comfort who opted to have her dress designed by an up and coming Romulan designer who was all too happy to accommodate Comfort's request for he knew that once her picture splattered the pages of magazines and newspapers, he would have more clients than he knew what to do with.

Unlike the others, Comfort did want the big poufy dress with all the lace and a tail so long she needed two assistants to help her with it. Her bright red curls spiraled past her shoulders and all she wore on her head was a tiara that was studded with expensive jewels.  
All around them people were taking pictures like crazy, and so many of them were trying to ask questions at the same time that everything sounded like a loud incomprehensible jumble.  
They had no time to try to accommodate them even if they had wanted to for they were quickly ushered inside by the guards, and one of the wedding planners.

* * *

"The brides have just arrived!" Another of the planners informed the grooms who were standing around nervously in the botanical chapel; Koval in particular kept pacing back and forth in his finest robes. He still thought it was silly that they had to hide from the women until the ceremony, when he asked Comfort why humans did such a thing she had said it was bad luck to see the bride before the wedding. He had lifted a brow in response: "Since us Romulans don't believe in luck; that means I can see you." But she was adamant about it so he conceded to her request, and apparently it had been the same for the others.

Kutunah couldn't be happier and his nervous reaction was to talk without even drawing breath for air. Not surprisingly; Vreenak's reaction was to drink Kali fal although he had been working on the same glass for the last two hours. Koval had a feeling he just really wanted to hold something so that people couldn't see what a jittery mess he was, and now that it was time for them to make their way to the hall, he grudgingly placed the glass down and took a deep breath.

"Well men, these are our last moments as bachelors." He said as he tried to get the attention off of him.

"Good; I cannot wait until Comfort is finally mine." Koval replied.

"I share your sentiments Koval." Kutunah replied. "You've come a long way, I still remember when you couldn't stand the sight of that girl, and now you're going to marry her."

"I must disagree with you there. I believe that I loved her from the moment I set eyes on her, I was just trying to fight it but in the end my efforts only increased my love for her."

"Well I never fought it, I always knew Jan would be mine the moment I saw her at the restaurant." Vreenak added.

The planner came in again and motioned towards the clock and they hurried out to be greeted by a hall that was steadily filling with guests. Koval could see DeSeve and J'Mille sitting on the third row, he smiled in knowing that they were able to make it after all.

The grooms wandered around and greeted as many of the guests as they could until it was time to start. They took their places and for the first time realized how packed it was as they had invited a total of 280 guests.

The music began which was made up of 10 musicians, and all conversation ended as little Bianca made her way down the aisle dropping rose petals from her basket. She looked up at one point and smiled at a little boy sitting in the audience who waved back at her happily. Bianca had begged Comfort for her to invite her friend to come to the wedding.

"Why can't you just tell him to come? I don't mind." She had said.  
"Because, Tristan lives on another planet, you have to ask his parents' permission directly."

Comfort was very fond of Bianca so she did what the little girl requested and was surprised to see that her friends mom was a very beautiful human woman. She had smiled at the mention of Bianca. "Oh yes! Tristan speaks of her often; I will consult the matter with my husband and give you an answer in 24 hours at the latest."  
They had obviously agreed to let the boy attend the wedding.

Lentak and Bretant were now walking down the aisle carrying the rings. Their hair and their clothes were identical and really, only their parents were able to distinguish the two.

The music changed and people shifted in their seats, some craning their necks to view Rosemary making her way down the aisle.  
Low chatter began to form, and increased a little bit more when Jan made her way down, for Vreenak's eyes grew so wide, they looked as if they were going to pop out any second. He swallowed nervously as he looked at her for she was like an angel to him. Rosemary saw this and realized what Jan had meant all along; the velociraptor really did love her.  
Suddenly the chatter increased even more when Comfort was finally coming down, and Koval's facial expression changed dramatically when he saw her. He stood up straighter and smiled with pride for before him was approaching the most beautiful woman alive in his eyes. The tiara he had gotten for her had been an excellent choice for the contrast in color only made her hair look even more brilliant. She was in short; perfection itself.

During the ceremony his eyes never wavered off of her, he was completely under her spell and he realized over and over again that he could not live without her in his life. Something filled inside of him, a surge of deep emotion as he thought these things that caused his eyes to water, it was then that he finally looked away to keep from making a scene, but soon enough he felt her small gloved hand caress his in understanding for she loved him just as deeply.  
When he finally kissed her, he held on for longer than any of the other grooms, for when their lips met on this occasion, he transferred all of his love, his inner passions, and his intense appreciation in the fact that she had been the one to save his life in more ways than one. It was only when he felt her legs start to give out that he ceased, and that was followed by an eruption of applause and cheers from their audience. They were now officially husband and wife.

* * *

The wedding reception was in full swing as Kali fal and wine flowed freely. The caterers had begun serving food and Bea was the first to get her plate.  
"Feed the fat pregnant woman first is my motto." She said as she picked up her cutlery.

"You are not fat my wife." Letant laughed back.

She grumbled in response. "I'm getting plump."

"With my child." He whispered in her ear. She slapped his shoulder playfully and made sure nobody had been watching and thankfully Lentak and Bretant were playing their hand held games while Bianca was too busy running around with that friend of hers to sit still for more than two seconds together.

It took some coaxing but Comfort managed to get Koval to slow dance with her to a couple of songs. Rosemary and Kutunah however seemed to dance to every single song, while Vreenak and Jan were with the photographer taking pictures in the gardens.

"We must depart soon." Koval whispered into Comfort's ear as they slow danced, her arms were wrapped around his neck as she looked into his eyes.

"Why? We haven't even eaten yet, and I for one am starving, I've been too nervous to eat all day."

"After we eat, we will leave so that we make good time on arriving to our honeymoon destination."

Her eyes lit up after he said this. "Where are we going Koval?"

He smiled in turn. "It is a surprise."

Thankfully, they were served food as soon as they had stepped off the dance floor, and afterwards they took some time to take pictures around the monstrous cake that was bigger than all of Bea's kids put together and then made a hasty retreat towards Koval's ship, but before they left, he shot a glance towards DeSeve who winked and nodded knowingly at him.

* * *

Comfort and Koval did not leave their quarters the entire time during their stay on the ship since they had everything a newly married couple needed; a bathroom, food replicator and a bed.  
Even after the ship landed at their destination, they didn't leave until two hours later, both looking extremely happy only to become happier when Comfort realized that they had arrived at Provence, France. Her reaction was to jump into Koval's arms before he kissed her passionately.

"DeSeve and J'Mille left us the place for the next two weeks. I hope this choice is satisfactory for you my Comfort."

She sighed in his arms. "It's absolutely perfect Koval; this place will always hold such a special place in my heart."

"It will for me as well. I often dreamed about this place, and the lavender fields during the time you and I were separated. I always said that nothing would make me happier than to come back here with you just one more time."

She looked up at him in awe. "I use to dream about this place too! Oh Koval! Let's go to the lavender fields right now!"

And they did, once they freshened up a bit. Just like last time, they went into the small town and dined at a bistro run by and older couple. The old man was tending to them as their waiter and he was very friendly and recommended a wine from the Alsace region that they just had to have along with their meal, which they accepted. They ate Sole Marinière with seasonal roasted vegetables, and a loaf of crusty French bread was placed in front of them for good measure to sop up the delicious butter and lemon sauce.  
Dessert consisted of a chocolate tart surrounded by fresh berries that put Koval especially in a very jovial mood. They left almost immediately after they finished and didn't even wait for the old man to bring the bill. Koval simply left probably twice as much as what he estimated their total would've been.

Even though the Lavender fields were no longer in bloom, the scenery around them was still beautiful. They laid down on the fields and looked up at the sky until it got dark and shiny stars made their appearance. Comfort caressed his hand gently as they both admired the twinkling lights and that's all it took to send Koval aflame. He took her in his arms and kissed her until her lips were pink and swollen. He loved kissing her; he would always love kissing her.

"I love you Comfort, my wife." He whispered in a half pant.

"I love you Koval, my husband." She replied.

And underneath the stars within the vast and solitary lavender fields of Provence, France; Koval made passionate love to his wife. Nothing would ever be the same for him again, nothing would ever equal to such felicity.

Koval finally understood what it meant to be happy; he had finally been comforted.


	20. Chapter 20

**Epilogue**

_5 years later...__  
_  
A four year old and a three year old toddler ran across the room, both of them waving bird-of-prey toys in their hands while laughing, the little girl however fell and immediately began to cry while the boy looked at the girl in awe.

"Awwww, do you have a booboo Janak? Let me check." Jan said sweetly as she picked up her daughter. She was a beautiful little girl with her father's big grey eyes and her mom's brown hair. Little Janak looked up at her mom and immediately stuck the bird of prey toy in her mouth.  
The boy continued to watch and then wandered over to his own mom.

"You want a snack Lavan?" Bea asked as she waved a small animal cracker in front of her son, but he mimicked Janak and stuck the bird of prey toy in his mouth as well before running away.

"No? Fine, I'll eat it." She said and popped the giraffe in her mouth before placing her hand over her swollen mid-section.

"I don't know how you do it Bea." Jan said as she held Janak.

"Lot's of patience my dear, and it doesn't hurt that our husbands are Senators and can afford help, although at the rate we're going, I don't know that he'll ever be able to retire."

"Vreky would probably never want to retire, he loves his job."

"Say, how are Rosemary and Kutunah doing? Aren't they due for a visit from the stork soon?"

Jan shook her head. "They don't want kids, they like to be able to go on vacation whenever they want and travel. They'll be visiting us in two weeks."

"Oh good, we'll have to arrange a small party." Bea said happily.

There was a sound of mumbled voices and then the front door opened as Bianca, Lentak, and Bretant came in.

"Mom! mom! mom! mom! mom! Instead of doing our homework right away, can we switch it for today and play outside first? We promise we'll be extra good during the week." The boys pleaded with her, she looked over at Bianca who rolled her eyes.

"Their fat Ferengi friend got a new Bird-of-prey 3,000. They'll be playing outside all afternoon and evening."

"You're such a snitch Bianca!" Lentak sneered as he brought out his slingshot and shot a pebble towards her leg. Bianca dodged it however and pulled his hair hard, there was a sudden scramble where all three kids were about to gang up on each other when Bea quickly stepped in and separated them.  
"Just for that little show, nobody goes outside today, understand? Now off to your rooms! I don't want to see you out until dinner time and your homework better be done by then!" The boys shot Bianca and menacing glance before they all went their separate ways, Bea sighed as she fell on her chair.

"Their tutors will be here any minute and they'll forget all about this occurrence."

"You didn't tell them about the dinner tonight though." Jan reminded her.

"Oh that's right! We're supposed to go to Koval and Comfort's place! It's probably better that I didn't say anything. When they come out of their rooms with their grumpy faces, they'll be tickled green when they find out we're going to Uncle Koval's."

Later that evening, they were all at Koval's place. Comfort had matured into a beautiful woman. The sparkle in her eyes and glow of her radiant skin reflected the happiness she felt for she was now co-running Khavaan medical, and it was better than anything she could have hoped for.  
She oversaw the work of the researchers they had hired and had her own personal grandiose lab to work in, but best of all, Koval was never too far away except for when he had to have customer meetings, and sometimes they did that together, going to fancy restaurants or exclusive events. She admired Koval's ability in being so persuasive, it seemed he knew exactly what to say and he could turn the most pessimistic buyer into his best friend by the end of the evening.

It turned out that Koval actually made more income now than he did when he was Chairman of the Tal-Shiar. He and Comfort set up savings accounts, one for when they had children, another for vacation and recreational activities, and another for charitable institutions.  
At first Koval had not agreed with the later, but Comfort insisted that it was important to help those that were less fortunate and he eventually gave in to her request only to find out that at one of the Gala events, several of his now biggest clients were there.  
He still remembered the night well for it was the fist time he had worn a human tuxedo, and Comfort had worn a sleek black dress that accentuated her curves beautifully. Her red soft curls cascaded down her back, the color matching her ruby lips, and it seemed that every man in the room turned to look at his ravishing wife. It was hard to focus on anything else but he managed to land three new accounts, and they also discovered the convenience of the ballroom storage closet later that night.

Bianca waited until Comfort was alone and checking on the food in the kitchen when she went up to her and showed her the most recent pictures that Tristan had sent to her. Comfort was the only one that Bianca trusted enough to spill her little secrets to.

"These are pictures of the Nua Breizh Western oceans, and this is a picture of him in uniform."

"My goodness me, I reckon he is going to be one handsome devil when he gets older Bianca. So, do you still doubt he's a Prince?" Comfort asked.

"No, I know he is; I looked it up, but I like pretending that I think he's lying just to get a reaction from him." She giggled mischievously.

"You talk to him often?" Comfort asked.

"Sometimes, it's hard because there's always lots of people around, there's no such thing as privacy where I live."

"So he's your secret boyfriend?" Comfort teased.

"No way!" Bianca gushed. "It's not like that, he's my best friend. He tells me everything and I tell him everything."

"Well I think that's just fine Bianca, and don't worry; your little secret is safe with me." She winked.

They both exited the kitchen as dinner was ready, they opened the sound to hear the voice of Letant and Vreenak speaking.  
"Just a few more years and your daughter is going to blossom into a beautiful woman Letant, I still have a couple of extra years to brace myself for the inevitable."

"And what's that?" Letant asked expectantly.

"Well, that she will get married of course." Vreenak said before sipping his Kali fal.

"Bianca is never going to get married, she's going to stay with her mommy and daddy until they get old, isn't that right sweet heart?"  
He asked and looked for her, she rolled her eyes and smacked the front of her head and everyone in the room erupted in laughter.

"Dinner is ready!" Comfort announced as the servants began bringing out the food that Comfort had cooked.  
It was set up buffet style and when the covers were lifted, Vreenak smiled in particular when he saw his beloved collards.

"I do so enjoy your cooking Comfort." He said as he licked his lips and rubbed his hands in anticipation.  
He then turned when he saw Jan was glaring at him. "Not that, I don't enjoy yours my love."

"Looks like Vreky is going in the dog house tonight." Letant smirked as he held up his glass of water.

"That name is only acceptable when Jan uses it old man!" Vreenak sneered.

"Come on you grumpy old goats, let's eat!" Bea said as she grabbed a plate.

After they ate, Koval stood up amongst them and lifted his glass.

"One of the reasons why Comfort and I have invited you all for dinner tonight is that we both have an announcement." He said as he put his arm over his blushing wife.  
But before he could finish, Bea began to laugh.

"She's pregnant; I knew it the first moment I saw her_, believe me_; I know a pregnant woman when I see one."

"Booo, party pooper!" Comfort hollered at Bea.

Koval cleared his throat. "Yes, my Comfort and I are expecting our first child."  
Thunderous cheers and conversation broke out, the women gathered around Comfort and gave her so much information that she was beyond overwhelmed, but she was happy in the knowledge that she and Koval were finally forming the family that they always wanted and had such amazing friends with which to share it with. She looked forward to their future in Rateg, and looked forward to having more children as well with the man she loved.

The End

**Thanks again to everyone who read, and reviewed. I had so much fun with this story! But not all has ended... Please stay tuned as another story is in the works, this one being co-written with Lorna Winters. It takes place a few years after this story and involves the love story of Little Bianca and the boy she met at the lake named Tristan, coming very soon!**


End file.
